Playing Cat and Mouse
by FlameWolf3182
Summary: ivknfdl
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**  
Let the Game Began

Blaise Zabini always liked to consider himself different from the average Slytherin. It's not that he was necessarily courageous, or would give his life to save someone else's. No, he wasn't saying that he was a goody toe shoes like those Gryffindors. It was just that he wasn't what most people expected from a Slytherin.

To explain what he meant, Blaise would have to compare himself to Draco Malfoy, the mirror image of what a Slytherin boy should be. This would be a simple task, because if anyone knew the flaxen haired teen, it was Blaise Zabini.

Blaise tended to be a quieter boy all together. He held the motto 'it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think your smart, then open it and risk proving them wrong.' Not that he would ever diminish his 'smarts' by speaking. It would probably only insure his intelligence, but, he liked to have people guessing about him. Which was very much unlike Draco, because the blonde let people know everything on his mind, and often spoke even before thinking about what he was going to say. This tended to lead to some, less then brilliant words slipping from his mouth.

As well as being quiet, he was slightly less egotistical when it came to his dashing good looks. Unlike Draco Malfoy, Blaise simply kept the fact that he was gorgeous to himself. He believes that there was no need of telling others that he was fit; consider they were sure to know once looking at him anyway.

Along with that Blaise wasn't exactly flamboyant in his 'evil' moments either. Oh he had them, you had to have them to be friends with Malfoy, or any of the Slytherins that he associated with, but they was the slightest bit more modest about his schemes.

Being the quieter of the bunch, Blaise tended to fly under the radar a lot. There wasn't as much talk about him, as there was about The Draco Malfoy, which was the way he liked it. He liked to have girlfriends, he liked to sleep around, and he liked having the woman fawning over him without having the whole of the school talking about it. Sometimes he wondered how Draco even managed it. It's rather surprising that the other boy's head hadn't exploded yet.

Of course, despite these little differences, Blaise still knew he was a Slytherin at heart. Why?

Because Slytherins loved games.

And Blaise lived for them.

-------

Never had Blaise ever thought that he would get inspiration from such a girl. After all, it's not that she was incredible beautiful or had something amazing and different about her. She liked books more then boys, she was too smart for her own good, and she was a brown noser if Blaise had ever seen one. And yet, as he sat in the Library one day with Draco, Theodore, and Tracey (Draco's current arm-candy), he couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly as he watched the dark eyes of Hermione Granger skim across a research book, intent and obviously intrigued in whatever she was reading.

Hermione Granger. She was pure lioness if anyone was. She was smart as a tack, quick witted if the time called to be, and could bite your head off if you weren't too careful. He remembered her being the bookish girl in first year that had teeth bigger then two icebergs and hair so bushy that he wouldn't have been surprised if she often lost things in it. Of course, the girl had changed over the years. Her teeth had been put to normal size (with the unfortunate help of Draco), she had learned how to tame her hair the slightest bit more, and she had developed, rather nicely.

But it wasn't because she had become presentable that Hermione inspired Blaise. It wasn't even because she would be a challenge because of her untamable temper. No, it was merely because Draco hated the girl almost as much as he did Harry Potter, maybe even more it some ways. Actually, if Blaise weren't such a nice guy, he probably would have picked Harry Potter himself. Of course, he knew that would have just been cruel for poor Draco.

And Harry would never swing that way, so it was a lost cause.

Blaise brought his blue eyes to Draco after a moment longer of staring at the girl who was sitting a few tables down the way from them, catching the stormy gaze of the other boy as he lounged with an arm around the shoulders of Tracey. The master of always looking good, he seemed to ooze sex appeal, even when just sitting around.

This was not the first time that he had sent this gaze to Draco, therefore when the blonde caught it, he knew exactly what it meant. Blaise watched as a slender eyebrow rose in a suggestive manner in reply to that gaze, before he pushed dark hair lazily out of his face and lifted himself from his seat.

"I'm off." Blaise said to dismiss himself, not replying when Theo had asked where he was headed. He had never really liked Theodore Nott, but Draco away said he was convenient to have around. Theo was a smart boy, and had a father in a high position of power in the Ministry.

The teen wandered the halls in a leisurely pace, knowing where he was going and having all the time in the world to get there. After all, what else was he going to be doing on a Saturday afternoon? As he walked, he reached around his neck and unhooked the gold chain that hung there, a present he had gotten at a young age from his mother, with the help of her third husband, and his wallet.

His mother was probably one of the major reasons why Draco even started liking the boy. At the time that Draco and Blaise first met, everyone was talking about how Mrs Zabini had been on her fourth husband to mysteriously die. Although she always got off, everyone _knew_ that she was killing for money. Therefore, making her a very valuable person to have on your side at the time of Blaise's entry to Hogwarts.

Now, you see, Draco Malfoy like to associate himself with powerful people, much like Lucius Malfoy did. He always said 'to be in the presence of power makes you powerful.' Blaise likes to tease the blonde and say it's because he knew deep down that he truly held no power himself. Of course, Blaise knew he was not exactly the type of person who struck fear into people eyes, but his mother was the prefect image of someone you dread even before meeting, and that was the power that a Malfoy would be looking for. Nowadays Blaise liked to think he was at least a bit influential, manipulative, and that was why the two boys had stayed so close over the years, but back then the boy was merely another boy sorted into Slytherin, who was nervous as hell to be away from his family.

Blaise wrapped the chain he held around the finger of a old witch statue, letting it hang there delicately, and as it did, the sunlight from a window nearby made the gold shine and sparkle while it swung back and forth slightly.

Across the hall from the statue was a storage room, made famous in fourth year when Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang were caught together inside, doing a little more then talking. Nowadays couples, for fear of getting caught, rarely visited it, and staff had also abandoned it, for the fact that couples rarely visited.

Making it the prefect place really.

Blaise turned the knob of the door, and kicked the bottom of it, being the only way you could actually open the old door. He sneaked inside, lighting the hanging lamp with his wand before letting himself lean casually on the wall, waiting.

Of course, he was never kept waiting long. A few minutes later Blaise saw the doorknob turn and heard the sound of someone's foot kick it, the same way he had opened it moments before. Someone entered, and Blaise was no longer alone in the small broom closet.

"Blaise Zabini. Now what on earth are you doing locked away in a closet?" Draco asked with his signature smirk playing over his features, pale skin now an orange color with the help of the one lamp in the room.

"I could ask you the same question." Blaise replied in a silky tone.

This is how it always worked. This closet was where it always happened, and actually, now that Blaise remembered, it was where it had all started.

It's not that Blaise and Draco were gay. Draco would probably kill himself if there was no such thing as woman, and Blaise had to agree, girls were amazing and he wouldn't settle for anything less, but being a teenager is difficult, especial for two boys who were on the top of the 'most wanted' list, and had girls making outrageously intriguing offers left, right and center.

You see, both boys had realized at a young age that hormones were anything but enjoyable. They were what made most other boys their age stare and drool at the sight of a girl. God forbid that a woman who knew how to swing her hips a little walked by, because for those boys, a bit of a shake would be the death of them. Of course, that wouldn't work for Draco and Blaise, because they were practically sex symbols, and they needed to keep their cool at all times. That's what made the girls follow them like puppies. They couldn't be seen drooling. Drooling was for lesser beings.

But, they were still men, and could not escape urges that came along with being a teenager. If hormones were not satisfied they can lead you do doing very rash things, things that boys of their stature could not risk having happen. Draco was already pushing his chances at times with his constant flirting with pretty well anything that moved; the only thing that was keeping him alive was how much the girls actually wanted him. Of course, he understood that it would all go away if he was ever caught making out with Daphne Greengrass if he was going out with Pansy. Then he would get the 'cheater' label, and his pick of girls would significantly decrease.

Of course, as we stated, being a boy with uncontrollable hormones, sometimes you just had to make out with someone tu satisfy those urges, and often your girlfriend isn't always readily available for randomly kissing. After all, girls were girls, and sometimes just didn't feel like making out. And, even though you could fight it sometimes, the temptation of just sneaking off with one of the many girls who were willing to satisfy your needs could be a little bit to much to handle. Both boys knew that eventually, if their hormones were not dealt with, they would give into an offer, and they would get caught. This was not an option.

Therefore leading the two boys here, with the realization that boys were _always_ willing to make out.

"Just returning a lost item. This wouldn't happen to be yours would it?" Draco asked after holding up a pale hand, Blaise's gold chain weaved around his fingertips. Blaise let a smile crawl over his features.

"Draco Malfoy you're my hero." He replied mischievously as he grabbed around a bit of the chain that was hanging with his finger and pulled it slightly, leading the blonde boy to move closer slightly.

"Just doing my civic duty. It was probably very expensive." He replied, receive a bit of a shrug from Blaise.

"It was. But I wouldn't exactly worry about Henry missing the money." Blaise let out a bit of a chuckle when Draco smirked at that joke, a quirky play at his mother's decease husband, one that Blaise hadn't particularly liked all that much.

Despite sounded really homosexual, Blaise had to say that he always liked his time with Draco, only because, you realize exactly how good your relationship with someone was when alone with them in a closet. Not in a sexual way, just in the way you interact with them. Blaise knew he was good friend with Draco only because in moments like this they could laugh and joke, despite how it would be very awkward if anyone else tried it. Outside, where reality was, people judged you too much to talk like they were now. Outside Draco put on his mask, the one that mirrored what everyone wanted from him, and Blaise shut up.

But here, they could be themselves.

A silence fell as they stood there, Blaise taking the hand that was not twisted in the chain with Draco's and grabbed at the blonde boy's tie, pulling it gentle so it was taunt, and then lead him closer. Blaise felt a little bad that he was doing this to Draco, leading him on slightly, for he had other plans for today, plans that did not include making out. Draco was just going to have to fight off those hormones for the day.

"Lets play a game." Blaise suggested, after he had turned his head slightly when Draco had moved forward for a kiss. The words ended up whispered in the blonde's ear, them being so close that it was illogical for it to have been whispered into anywhere else. Blaise almost felt that familiar smirk crawl over the thin lips of his friend.

"What do you have in mind?" He asked, deciding he would join into the exchange of whispers, but used it to get Blaise back for that teasing by letting the words come out on a hot breath that hit the side if Blaise's neck, making his skin crawl ever so slightly. Blaise should have known not to attempt teasing Draco Malfoy, because he had his way of turning it all around.

"A race." The dark haired boy responded, fisting the hand that held around his peers tie as he tried to level his breathing, which had just jumped slightly in intensity. Blaise felt as Draco moved his head slightly to glance down at the hold the other boy had on his tie, lifting it again and daring to brush his cheek over Blaise's jaw before replying in another whisper.

"And the goal?" he inquired, Blaise taking a moment to swallow slightly, letting his own smile come back onto his face, for he knew he would be getting back at the other boy for the torture he was being put through when he uttered the following words.

"The heart of Hermione Granger." He whispered, and just as he had guessed, almost immediately he had a hand on his stomach, shoving him slightly as Draco moved away suddenly.

"Mud-blood?" Draco said, as if not believe what the boy had said moment before, causing a chuckle to come for Blaise, the boy enjoying that reaction a little bit too much.

"What? Scared you might not be able to woe her? Is she too much of a task for poor little Draco." Blaise asked through a wide grin, making a sneer fall over his companies face.

"Hardly. A Malfoy gets whatever he wants." He replied, folding his arms across his chest as his words suddenly turned rather defensive. Blaise let his eyes roll slightly, pushing his teasing a little too far, and seeing that he did so when Draco let his eyebrows raise ever so slightly.

"Do I need to remind you _why_ a Malfoy gets whatever he wants, or is it reminder enough the fact that I got you." Draco said, that same suggestive mannerism taking over his voice like it had earlier in the library when he had cocked his eyebrow.

"No one has me Draco, you should know that by now." Blaise replied, letting another bit of a chuckle out as he turned for the door, only to have Malfoy put his hand on it to keep it closed.

"Except me, right?"

"Keep telling yourself that." Blaise answered, shoving away the hand that was keeping him from leaving.

"You owe me." Draco commented at Blaise's attempted departure, only making another smirk crawl other the lips of the darker skinned boy.

"Well how about I make up for that after I win?" Blaise said, putting his own suggestion into his tone, to almost mirror that of his peer before.

"After_ I _win." Draco corrected. Blaise smirked, letting his head fall ever so slightly. Draco did that ever time, even though they both had an even track record. Of course, Blaise was going to win this one, because, rule number one, never start a game that you can't win.

"Then it's on?" Blaise asked, not even bothering to point out his logical to the blonde.

"Like white on rice."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **  
An Interesting Encounter

Draco never thought that he would ever be waiting around for Hermione Granger. Oh Merlin, even just thinking about the idea of it disgusted him.

She was just, Hermione. That was like a Prince going out with a pig. It just, didn't work even if it _was _possible, which it wasn't. Just the thought that he was going to have to be, Draco took a moment to let the thought shiver through is body. He was going to have to be nice. The blonde sneered slightly, holding back a gag as he leaned on the wall of the corner in the fourth floor hallway, where he had been waiting for near twenty minutes then.

Why did Blaise torture him so? What on earth went on in the other boy's head that made him think this sort of game was a respectable idea? Draco almost laughed. Like they ever did anything respectable anyway. Their games always included playing with other people's emotions without their knowledge or agreement. That was the fun of their games. Anyone could play wizard chess or truth or dare; it took mastered manipulation to play the games that Blaise and Draco did.

It's not even that Hermione was, ghastly or anything. She was actually rather good looking. If she was anyone other then Hermione Granger he would probably be after her by now, he liked a bit spirit in his woman, but it was just that one fact. She was Hermione. She was a Muggle-born, she was a smart ass, and she was a friend of the Golden Boy himself. Draco would have thought that it would go without saying that such a girl was completely off limits as a part of any of their sport, but apparently Blaise didn't think the same way Draco did.

Or, Blaise was just being a git and doing it to make Draco squirm, either way, the blonde was not going to give his friend that satisfaction. Something in him was determined to show Blaise exactly who he was messing with.

What Blaise did not understand is exactly how hard it was going to be, for both of them. At least Draco had the upper edge in knowing Hermione a bit, knowing what pushed her buttons and knowing how to work the two dim wits she had for friends. Blaise was walking into the situation practically blind. This would all be a challenge, and would have to be approached with a well though out plan.

Draco always liked a challenge though, and for some reason he was sure that was why Blaise had picked her. Out of all the girls in the school, she was the only one who didn't sigh utter contentment at the mention of his name. Actually, on the contrary, Draco was sure she probably retched whenever he was mentioned. He would have to change that, after all, Draco Malfoy _did_ get whatever it wanted, and as strange as it sounded, and even though he never thought he was ever say it, he wanted Hermione Granger.

The boy let himself lean slightly to peek around the corner of the wall he was waiting on. Finally seeing the brown hair of the girl, arms wrapped tight around a bundle of books as always. He pulled back quickly again, letting a smirk crawl over his features as he listened to her heeled steps make their way closer and closer to the turn that he stood on the opposite side of.

Draco pushed off from the wall gracefully when her footsteps were mere feet away, and then, when she turned the corner he moved as if he was just walking as well, purposely running right into her, causing the many books she was carrying to fall all over the floor as she stumbled to keep her balance from suddenly being hit by another human being.

Her voice yelped slightly as she started falling backward, but Draco was, as always, one step ahead, and caught around her waist to save her from falling to the floor. In result of the catch, she ended up against his body, one of her hands falling on his chest delicately as she let out a breath and a bit of a laugh.

"Well I almost made a fool of myself." She said, not even realizing who was holding her for a moment. She pushed vision obscuring brown strands of hair that had managed to escape from the tie that was wrapped around the rest of her unmanageable locks and holding them together at the base of her neck. Finally her eyes turned up to see her savor, and almost instantaneously they narrowed with that familiar hateful glare that Draco knew so well.

"Malfoy." She said, trying her best to put the normal spite in her voice, although this time it was tainted with the smallest bit of confusion, no doubt wondering why on earth he had caught her instead of letting her fall to the floor like he normal would have. Or perhaps maybe wondering why he still had his arms around her waist firmly even though she had caught her balance, or maybe even just pondering why he was touching her all together.

She cleared her throat and pushed away from him, straightening her skirt and blouse, and then she lowered herself to the floor to pick up the books that had been dropped, stacking them one on top of another. Draco smirked slightly, letting his tongue run over his lower lip for a moment. He found himself surprisingly annoyed that she had pushed him away, but concluding it was only because it had been rather roughly, then let himself follow her down to the floor, picking up the last book that was just slightly out of her reach and handing it to her.

She lifted her brown eyes so that they fell on the book that was held by his slender fingers, then brought them up to his silver gaze again. That confusion once again shined in her eyes for a moment before she turned it to a vile look as she snatched the book from his fingers and placed it on top of her pile, picking the books up and standing.

Draco smirked slightly, feeling a tinge of wickedness spark in the back of his head as he decided to let his gaze follow up the line of her slender legs that she had so plainly put before him. To admire her figure was a lot easier then usual, because she had discarded the black robes that Draco tended to despise very much for the fact that they weren't exactly flattering to the feminine form most times. This was one of those times, because, as Draco let his eyes rove, not exactly trying to be discreet about it, he had to say he was almost drawn by the thin waist and gentle curve of hip that had obviously been hidden from his view under her robes the many times he had been in her company before. Perhaps if she had dressed like this more often, he would have eased up a little.

He lifted himself from the floor when she had cleared he throat, catching the smallest bit of a blush falling over her cheeks, as she had no doubt caught his 'inspection'. He once again caught her gaze, letting his lips tug into another smirk, one that held a but of a coy undertone, decided it would be best if he moved this along.

"It's good to see that you have my last name down, but I'd really like if you started calling me Draco." He said, trying his best to smile and not a smirk, although he wasn't exactly managing it, leading to Hermione narrowing her eyes yet again, defensively.

"And when would I ever call you by your first name? Maybe when I finally have my wand to your heart, but other then that I can't figure a reason to do so. Dirty Snake suites you fine." She replied, her voice sharp, but Draco merely listened as if very interested in what she was saying as he leaned slightly on the wall. She tilted her head ever so slightly after she finished, revealing a bit of her slender neck to Draco's vision unintentionally as well as signaling the end of her retort, then moved to leave, feet stomping strongly on the floor as she went.

"That's too bad, I was hoping you would be easier." Draco said slightly louder then he ever would speak normally, implying that she was supposes to hear the comment, and she did, consider she stopped in her tracks. He smirked again as he saw her turn around and come back.

"I'd be easier? You trying to get something out of me Malfoy?" Hermione asked, receiving a small smirk from Draco, but before he could reply she had put her hand up to stop his words.

"Ah no, this is one of your stupid little mind games isn't it? Well guess what ferret. I'm not playing." Draco faked a frown, letting a hand touch his chest, were his heart would be, if he had one.

"I have to say that a take offence to that Hermione. I wouldn't do that to you." Draco said, getting a sarcastic laugh in reply from the girl's pout lips.

"Please. Don't trying and charm your way out of this Malfoy. I would have thought that you'd know by now that you're allure doesn't work on me. You are, and will always be a bloody sneak to me." She said, her voice turning sugary sweet before she lowered her head to mock spit at his feet, even though no saliva left her mouth. Hermione Granger would never defile school property in such a way. Draco raised an eyebrow and watched her leave, her lose tangled bun of hair bouncing slightly as she stomped off, then he turned himself around the corner.

As he walked away casually he counted. Not up from one like the average person counted, but down from five, because that was how long it was going to take her to realize.

Five, four, three, two, one.

"Malfoy!" her voice echoed down the empty hall and Draco stopped, letting a smirk crawl over his lips before glancing over his shoulder.

"You called me Hermione." She said, her shoulders falling after saying the words, as if defeated for a moment, no doubt confounded by what she had just realized.

"That's your name isn't it?" Draco asked, turning to walk backwards a few steps and letting his hand give a casual wave before starting down the hall again, a very achieved smirk playing over his features. His father always told him not to rush things. Rushing can cause a sloppy outcome. But so far, Draco was ahead of schedule. Blaise was going to have to do sometime very special to the lead in this competition.

Anyone would be able to tell there was something wrong with Hermione Granger when she walked into the great hall that day. Usually the girl was well natured when she walked into the hall. She would have a friendly smile on her face and a hop in her step, a welcoming aura around her. But today was different. Firstly, she was not carrying a book, which was a rare occasion in itself, but secondly, she had her eyebrows brought together roughly, showing she was very distracted by something that was causing her much anger. Because of this, everyone that she was walking by was glancing at her with a bit of confusion, as if wondering what on earth had gotten so deep under the skin of the bookish Gryffindor girl.

Of course, none of them dare to ask, because, even though Hermione was usually well-natured, everyone had seen her livid at one point, and everyone knew that once someone had pushed her buttons, you had to be careful for your own well-being.

She sat down with Ron and Harry, not even greeting them, but instead just looked at the plate in front of her, her lips moving every now and then as if having a verbal conversation with herself in her head, trying her best to sort out whatever was going on. She finished off the silent conversation by letting out a very frustrated huff, shaking her head slightly then let it rest in the palm of her hand as she stared off at nothing in particular, eyes still clouded with whatever it was she was thinking about.

Ron narrowed his eyes slightly before turning a glace towards Harry, looking at his friend to perhaps see if he had any further idea as to what on earth was bothing the girl. When he gave the same confused reaction, Ron turned his attention back to the girl, touching her shoulder tentatively to get her attention.

"Mione. You alright?" he asked, pulling his hand away quickly when she had turned her head his way suddenly, as if afraid that she might bite his fingers off or something of the sort.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she stopped, and instead let out that frustrated sound again, folding her arms childishly as her eyes narrowed even more in hate.

"What do we do?" Harry asked quietly after a moment of silence, were both the boys exchanged unsure glances from across the table. Ron shrugged in reply to the question, only to have the girl sigh again, and both boys flinched slightly.

"He called me Hermione." She said after the sigh, her voice quick and sharp, slightly louder then usual, and completely baffled at what she was saying. Ron and Harry were sure that this made prefect sense in her mind, but considering neither boy knew who she was talking about, this just ended up confusing them even more.

"Sorry, I didn't know you didn't want to be called that anymore." Ron said after a moment, having the girl sigh again in reply.

"Not you. Malfoy." She corrected, folding her arms again after she had swatted Ron on the arm for his idiocy.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked after a moment, suddenly understanding.

"Where is the git? Do you want us to go zap him to figure out what he's up to?" He asked, Ron nodding in agreement, but Hermione simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Don't be stupid. You'll just get in trouble. Let's just stop talking about it." She replied, watching as the boys both frowned slightly, as if she had shot down their one dream, which she probably just had. They all sat in quiet for a few minutes, but after a while Harry and Ron sparked up into a casual conversation about the upcoming Quidditch season, debating who they wanted new on the teams and things of the sort. Hermione had found herself tuning out after about the fourth time that Ron had said Hufflepuff was going to lose.

Of course, it didn't help to make Hermione seem any less insane that Draco had walked into the Great Hall when his usual bigheaded strut, sitting with anomalous elegance next to Tracey Davis, a pale, dark haired deity who seemed to link herself to his arm with abnormal speed. Someone had apparently cracked a joke during that short time he was there, because he had let a wide grin fall over his features, his straight, white teeth peeking out from behind thin lips.

Hermione pursed her lips slightly as she watched the boy run those same slender fingers that had been holding onto her volume of '_Salem Witch History'_ moments before through the platinum blonde that was his hair. A movement disguised as a casual gesture, but Hermione knew just by the look of it that he had the motion down to a science after doing it all these years. That movement had been mastered to make all the girls melt when he did it. All of them, but her.

Somehow, the dark eyes of the Gryffindor found even more hate for the boy then they ever had as he watched Tracey take notice to him, playing with a bit of his hair that was hanging in front of his eyes, then suddenly having his lips on hers.

"Look at him. He thinks he's all that. Sitting around with his posse and his slutty girlfriend, acting as if nothing happened." She said aloud, catching her two friends attention and causing their conversation to come to a halt as both boys took a moment to figure out who she was talking about again.

Harry followed Hermione's glare to the Slytherin table, then turned back to the girl, another puzzled look coming over him.

"What did he do anyway Hermione?" He asked, taking a glance at Ron, who let his shoulder shrug ever so slightly.

"Nothing! He didn't do anything all right? Why do you keep bringing it up?" She said in a livid tone, both boys replying to the burst of anger with very perplexed looks. She huffed in annoyance again before lifting herself from her seat and turning to leave, not in the mood to deal with the boys complete cluelessness. Sometimes it was horrible to have boys as best friends. They just didn't understand.

And it wasn't like she was going to explain to them what went on, because then she was going to have to explain the details about the blonde saving her from certainly harming herself, his attempt at helping her pick up her books, his strange words, and let us not forget his long assessment of her bodice. Doing this could risk having Ron take off in a burst of envy and kill the boy called Draco Malfoy, and frankly, no matter how much Hermione despised the boy, she really couldn't handle having his death on her conscience.

Of course, Hermione didn't want to talk about it for many other reasons, which were far more confusing and harder to explain then all these reasons. For example, the surprising comfort she felt with his arms around her, or perhaps the red heat that had fallen over her features when his eyes and wandered over her, and not to mention the confusion that followed his lips muttering her first name. She honestly wasn't sure whether she should be offended by him calling her by Hermione, or thankful that he hadn't called her by his other favorite names.

Most of all, she had to wonder what on earth was possessing Draco Malfoy to speak to her in the way he had, not even flinching or showing a sign of retorting as she shot harsh words at him. It was almost like he was trying to, behave himself.

Hermione stopped for a moment in her hard steps to let that thought sink in, then shivered ever so slightly, realizing how absurd the idea had actually been. Draco always had a reason behind his actions, and whatever the outcome was; it was always for his favor.

So, what was in it for him if he was acting this way to her?

Unfortunately, as Hermione walked, she knew exactly whom she had to go to if she wanted to know. It would have to be someone who knew Draco Malfoy as well, if not better then anyone else. Someone who could be swayed in either direction if given the right leverage, and someone who would actually give the girl the time of day.

This was unfortunate, because whom she had to go to was Blaise Zabini.

Now, the thing about Blaise Zabini, was that he never drew enough attention to himself for people to really know a lot about the boy. He was the shadow of Slytherin, and consequently, was not exactly a very hot topic on the Hogwarts' grape vine. This made it rather difficult for Hermione to simply go to someone and ask them if they knew anything about the boy, because not a lot of people knew thing about him like they did about Draco Malfoy.

Therefore, the Gryffindor had to make her own assumptions about the friend of Draco, which could be a good thing, or a bad thing. You never really knew with a Slytherin.

Not that Blaise came off like any other mocking, name-calling, sex enthralled Slytherin. On the contrary, Hermione found it hard to believe that he was in the same house as Draco Malfoy.

Hermione had the chance to see him in the library a lot, usually by himself, just sitting around and reading random novels or working on homework. His favorite reading tended to be that of famous muggles, which she would be lying about if she said she wasn't impressed by it. Every now and then he would rival her for answering the Professors' questions, and he had high honors in all the classes he was taking, leading Hermione to believe that he was either a suck up, or a truly brilliant boy.

He kept his love life on the low. Hermione had seen him with girls every now and then, but he didn't seem to work it up like his blonde haired counterpart. He was also a nicer Slytherin. He seemed to care about more important things then torturing other students, unlike the average green and silver crest bearer, such as Draco, who seemed to only care about making life hell for anyone not of pure blood.

Actually, now that Hermione went over it, the two boys seemed almost completely opposite. Even in their appearance.

While Draco was slender and fair skinned, Blaise Zabini was slightly more filled out, had broader shoulders and what seemed to be a prefect, slightly tanned tone to his skin, a color Hermione had to spend hours in the sun to achieve, and for her it would only last until mid fall. While The Slytherin Prince had locks of pure white blonde, Blaise Zabini had hair dark as midnight, the bangs in the front being grown out slightly longer then the rest, and because of the length it curled ever so slightly in a very appealing way.

He seemed acutely aware of his surroundings at all times, like Draco, but in a different way. While Draco conformed himself to look good at all times, it was almost as if Zabini made everything around shape in a way that complimented him, not the other way around.

He had a wide, real smile, something that Draco could never manage even if he tried, while at the same time pulling off the Malfoy smirk as if he had created it himself.

But perhaps the most intriguing thing about Blaise Zabini was something Hermione hadn't even mentioned yet. That was the fact that the boy had eyes so blue that they could be compared to that of the sky on the clearest of days, but even that would not compare, or even come close to explaining the concentration of the color. When you were fortunate enough to get a gaze from these eyes, you knew it, because they tended to cause chills because of their intensity. Framed by thickly lashed lids, the blues of his vision was so striking that it was probably the one major reason why Hermione avoided the Slytherin boy as much as possible.

If he was ever to talk to her face to face, it would be painfully obvious that she was completely attracted to him, only because every time those eye stared at her through the dark curtain that was his bangs, she had to work overly hard to keep her words from stumbling over themselves.

Being the control freak that she was, Hermione always hated not having power over a situation, which was probably one of the contributing factors to why she hated Draco so much. Draco could swing the control over to himself because he tended to make her so furious with him that she just lost all management. Blaise did the complete opposite. All Blaise had to do was be part of the conversation for Hermione to lose her cool.

And this was why it was so unfortunate that he was the only one she could possibly think of going to if she wanted to figure out what Draco was getting at.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**  
Stealing Place

Blaise scowled himself for knowing Draco like he did sometimes. After all, it was only because he knew Draco so well that he knew he wouldn't have to go after Hermione. Draco was someone who went for whatever he needed immediately, and even though he could be patient, Blaise knew that Draco had concluded that sitting around and waiting for Hermione to come to him was as foolish as sticking your foot in the lake and hoping the giant squid didn't grab you. Hermione was not going to bite any bait from Draco unless it was dangled right in front of her nose.

Of course, Blaise on the other hand had all the time in the world to simply sit around and wait for the girl, because he knew eventually the blonde's strange and uncalled for actions would lead her right to the only person who could help her understand them.

And that, of course, was Blaise.

So you can recognize why a smirk crawled over his features when he noticed her form heading purposefully across the grounds towards the school Atrium, which was where he had decided to take residents to finish up a bit of homework. He had gone out of his way to mention his headed whereabouts in casual conversation to anyone he knew, and made it painfully obvious where he was heading to anyone that Hermione might have asked for directions from. He then set up camp on the half wall that surrounded the central part of the atrium, knowing it wouldn't be too long until she came looking.

Of course he was a little surprised that she had come so quickly, but at the same time, all the more ready.

Blaise found himself inspecting the girl for the time she was walking. She had her hair lying over her shoulders, bits of it whipping in the breeze that blew by as she walked. The first time that week, he'd noted, that she hadn't had it up in some sort of hair tie to keep it manageable. Sometimes he wondered if she was just trying to make everyone think that her hair was horribly temperamental, because as of the last few years the brown locks had slowly become better and better. Now they seemed perfectly controllable, and actually rather glamorous, the curls framing her heart shaped face well while leveling her strong features.

As he watched her approach with her strong strides, he decided to pack up his things a bit, shoving all his work back into his bag and pulling out a book to make it look as if he was reading before she arrived. He settled his back against one of the pillars on the stone wall he sat on and turned his eyes down to the print on the page of his novel right as she stepped onto the cobblestone center of the vestibule.

Blaise let his eyes come up as if just realizing her there, and as he locked her in his sight she stopped in her tracks, as if she was a deer caught in the sight of a hunter. Her deep brown eyes looked slightly startled, as if she'd been caught doing something she wasn't suppose to be, but the look melted away after a moment.

"Hi." She said after she had taken a second to clear her voice and regain her composure, but at the same time keeping her distance. Blaise looked at her for a moment, then let a smirk pass over his lips.

"Hello. And what's a lovely lady like yourself doing wandering the grounds at this hour?" He asked in reply, knowing thoroughly well that it was only about seven, but at the same time seeing her pout pink lips turn up ever so slightly on one side, causing the smallest dimple to appear on her cheek.

"I should be asking you that, considering I'm the prefect here." She retorted, letting her arms fold over her chest before taking a few timid steps forward.

"And it's only six thirty." She added. He smirked, watching her feet moving closer for a moment before letting his eyes roll dramatically as he let out a bit of a sigh.

"Damn, and I was hoping it was later so I could offer to escort you back to the castle." He said, letting a smile cross his face that flashed a little bit of his teeth, his book now closed as he laid his head back against the cold stone to casually watch the girl continue to slowly approach. He heard her clear her voice again, wondering if that was a blush coming over her face, or just the evening chill nipping at her cheeks.

"You're Blaise right?" She asked after a moment, and he couldn't help but smile again, having a thought that was something along the lines of _'like she thought I was anyone else.'_ He let blue eyes skim over her shape before another grin tugged at his lips.

"And you're Hermione Granger. I hate you. I'm supposed to be the smart one, but still you manage to beat me in everything with only a few percentages more." He replied, his tone finding a playful manner as he caught her eyes for a moment when she lifted them to let out a bit of a laugh, only to have them fall again.

"Doesn't make much difference. All the Slytherin's hate me anyway." She replied, shrugging her shoulders and letting her eyes lift up to the horizon. He made a reaction that would imply him suddenly understanding her circumstances, even though he had know them all along.

"You know, Draco is only a very small part of Slytherin." He commented, and she turned her brown eyes to his again, this time holding his gaze for a moment before letting out a bit of a breath, that was perhaps suppose to be a laugh.

"Yes well, Draco is the reason why I'm here." Hermione said. Blaise had to hold back his joy at how well this was all going. He was sometimes surprise at how much you could rely on Draco being Draco. The dark haired boy, instead of jumping with the joy towards the convenience of the conversation, let his eyes roll slightly and sighed before pushing off from the wall and grabbing the strap of his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and taking a move to leave.

"Sorry dear, if I helped everyone who wanted a date with that kid I'd never have time for myself." He commented, letting a bit of a snigger pass his lips while shrugging his shoulders slightly. Seeing her eyes panic slightly before he turned around to leave, Blaise let his lip curl a little when she hurried forward to snag the strap of his bag and hold him back.

"Wait, that's not it. I just, I wanted to know if he's been acting different. Usually his horribly unpleasant to me, but today..." Blaise watched over his shoulder as she tried to explain her situation but ended up being defeated horribly by it. If it was anyone else they would have been confused as to what she was trying to imply, but he already knew exactly what she was saying. He turned, putting on a thoughtful expression before adjusting his pack on his shoulder.

"Draco isn't exactly a long-term thinker. He probably woke up this morning, and decided that he fancied you. Frankly, I'm a little annoyed that he got you to you first." He watched her as her eyes found a peculiar emotion, hoping that perhaps it was the look of her taking a moment to once over what he had just said, catching that hint, hopefully. He then let another theatrical sigh escaped from his lips before he turned again, securing his comment of irritation towards the Slytherin Prince. Her voice paused his departing steps once more.

"You're saying that he's attracted to me?" she asked, getting a shrug in reply as he turned around again, but this time took slow steps back towards the girl.

"You said that as if it's impossible. You're a beautiful girl; you're thoroughly capable of drawing his attention." He replied, looking down at her just a little now that he had managed to snake is way to standing only about a foot from her, Hermione not even realizing yet. She had let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Not me. He doesn't go for people like me." She replied, letting her head shake slightly, causing a couple strands of brown locks to fall over her face. She moved to push them away, but he beat her to it, using his fingertips to brush the stands and tucking them behind her ear, out of her deep brown eyes, which were now filled with slight nervousness. He dared letting his fingers graze over her jaw as he withdrew his hand, careful to watch her expression as he did so, which he saw vaguely soften, feeling a silent breath escape from her mouth on his palm as he took his hand back.

"You'd be surprised what some people are like when other's aren't watching." He whispered, catching her taking in a hard swallow, as her dark irises seemed completely locked with his now, still shining nervousness, but all the same not as timid as earlier when couldn't even catch that gaze. He had never really seen her eyes for so long, and was pleasantly surprised by the intriguing energy that they held. He always knew she could be feisty, that was a given being a Gryffindor, but he never knew she had this hidden mischief in her eyes.

It reminded him of Draco the slightest bit, the way that you could always tell when Draco was in a good mood because his eyes would hold that little bit of a shine, like his eyes were laughing.

He had ended up leaning into her ever so slightly, surprised at his own motion, because a move for a kiss at such an early stage was something he had never attempted before, for the fact that he could very well scare the prey off. And yet, it was as if the movement had not been under his control. He hadn't even thought about that, he had just, moved. Thankfully she had lower her head somewhat so she didn't see his slight lean towards her.

"I should go." She said, and it was his turn to clear his voice before nodding slightly.

Hermione hardly understood what was going on. She hadn't felt so strange since fourth year when her and Victor had that fling. Her heart was racing at an incredible pace, her face was hot and her skin was crawling in a strange but irresistible way.

The girl stopped outside of Hogwarts and let herself lean against the wall near the front doors, taking a moment to pull herself together, even though it wasn't working very well, for she still had a large grin across her face. Two boys in one day? Hermione looked down at herself to make sure she was wearing clothing, concluding that having two gorgeous boys looking at her in such a way mere hours within each other was impossible unless she was naked. But, when she saw her skirt and blouse still covering her, she found herself completely confused.

Hermione touched her heated cheeks with her fingertips, and then brushed them through her hair to perhaps untangle it slightly from the wind that had been whipping it around, a twitch that she had while she was thinking, which was what she was doing at that moment. Thinking over what had just happened.

Blaise Zabini had just been all over her. Not that that was a bad thing, Hermione couldn't help but smirk at herself at this thought, feeling slightly selfish for liking the attention so much, but feeling it also very overdue. She hadn't had boy's looking at her since most of the school found out about Ron crushing on her.

Of course, she had told him that she was not ready for a boyfriend. It's not that she didn't like Ron, but she honestly had other things on her mind more important to her at the time then worrying about a temperamental thing like relationships.

Of course, that doesn't mean she couldn't enjoy attention from very handsome boys if she received it, right?

The only thing was that they were two boys who, before today, Hermione would have thought wouldn't even take a second look at her. Draco didn't go for her type (her type of course being muggle-born), or at least, she didn't think he did, but according to Blaise it was possible.

Possible? Just like it was possible to get your toe nibbled off by a slug. Possibly, but almost completely unlikely.

And Blaise. Well, Hermione never really gave him the time of day before now for him to even show interest if he had it or not. She could see this being more likely then she could see Draco fancying her, but that wasn't exactly saying much.

The girl had found herself seriously debating whether the world was ending and she should be saying good-bye to Ron and Harry, because this was the only explanation for Draco's odd behavior.

Why were boys so confusing?

Despite the pondering thoughts that burdened her bushy haired head, she couldn't help but entered the common room with a bit of a smile on her features, a bounce in her step as she walked, not even realizing it until Ginny pointed it out as Hermione walked by her.

"What did you get full marks on this time?" the red headed girl asked, sitting in a large winged chair near a window of the Gryffindor tower. Her eyes were hidden behind a magazine, but could obviously see Hermione wide grin from across the hall. Hermione stopped in her tracks, trying her best to put on a serious face, but unable to pull the smile away from her lips.

"Oh, nothing like that." She replied, coming over, feeling it necessary to at least acknowledge the girls question, although she feared that Ginny, with her experience, would be able to pick up what had happened if she got too close.

"Goodness Mione you look like you just ran all the way here from the dungeons, and are for some reason very pleased about it." At the second part of her statement, Ginny narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone of voice displaying her understanding that this couldn't be the case, then all of a sudden those eyes widened and she let her mouth drop open.

"Who the bloody hell did you snog?" she practically yelled, and Hermione frowned immediately, waving her arms to quiet the girl. Hermione hardly wanted either of the boys to run down during such a conversation.

"I was not snogging anyone Ginny." The bookish girl replied, sitting down on the couch nearby her fiery headed friend.

"I do believe that I had two boys flirting with me today though." She said after another moment, letting the grin on her face grow as she finally revealed the secret of her smile, and then the grin followed onto her friend's face as well.

"Oh really? I want details honey. Names, houses, if their fit or not. After all, with the people I know I'm sure I could arrange something." Ginny replied, her words rambling together slightly as she had closed her magazine to move forward into the conversation a little more. Hermione rolled her eyes slightly and shook her head.

"There will be no need for 'arrangements', because that's just not going to happen." She replied, admitting this fact making her feel the slightly bit sad. Of course she knew that nothing should ever come of what happened that day, Merlin forbid that she ever started dating Blaise, or worst, Draco. She had to hold back a shiver at the idea. Slytherin boys just weren't her cup of tea. Well, no, that wasn't true. Slytherin boys were gorgeous, and gorgeous was completely her cup of tea, but add on their horrible attitudes and they became instantly unattractive to the girl.

Then again, Blaise seemed anything but a Slytherin boy.... No. Hermione had to hold back from slapping herself at the thought. Blaise was Draco's friend. Anyone that close to the blonde headed snake can't be good news.

"Well then who? Who are they? And why couldn't anything happen." Ginny asked, seemingly getting more excited about the conversation the longer that Hermione kept her in the dark.

Now, Hermione knew that Ginny would have figured it out eventually, and after all she was the most prefect girl to ask advice on what to do in such situation. Hermione would have probably told her eventually, but at the moment the busy haired girl was having regrets. Maybe because somewhere deep inside she didn't want to say what happened aloud, in case it had all been a very strange, thrilling dream.

"Malfoy. And his friend Blaise." Hermione said as last, after she had bit at her lip for almost half a minute, Ginny staring at her with intent eyes the whole time.

At the two names Ginny let her eyes widen slightly, then smirked.

"Well I'm jealous. They're hot." The girl replied, laying back in her chair, making a completely startled face come over Hermione.

"You mean, you're not freaked out, I mean, it's Malfoy and one of his Slytherin mates." Hermione said, and Ginny let out a bit of a laugh.

"So what? Yeah, Malfoy is a git, therefore his friend probably is too, but they're two of the fittest boys in Hogwarts and they were checking you out. Take it as a compliment." Ginny had returned to her reading as she spoke, seeming suddenly absentminded although her words were said with complete comprehension. Hermione bit at her lip again as she thought, letting the idea brew, and then decided that's exactly what she would take it as. A compliant. Two boys who could plainly get whatever girl they wanted in the school had been all over her.

Wow that sounded even more absurd in her head.

"I don't know Ginny, it just seems really fishy to me. I mean, they hardly pay me the slightly glance before today, and then suddenly they find me the most brilliant being on the face of the earth. Something doesn't add up." Hermione said, her words slightly monotone as her mind was still on trying to figure it all out, as if it was some sort of mathematical equation. Out of her thoughts she heard Ginny sigh.

"You really have to stop over thinking things dear. Some boys are just that weird. If it makes you feel any better, you don't have to do anything about it if you do want to. Go to class tomorrow as if nothing happened, and then if they're after you again, you can take it from there." The red head said, a shrug coming over her shoulders at the simplistic of her suggestion, and Hermione let her head tilt slightly before nodding. It seemed easy enough, and it wasn't likely that they would be the same tomorrow. Perhaps someone had fed them a love potion as a prank.

Actually, that would explain a lot.

"Ok. But, what if they are the same tomorrow. Which one, I mean, which..."

"Which one should you play along with?" Ginny asked, finishing Hermione's sentence. Hermione smiled in a slightly embarrassed way before giving a nod.

"Whichever one you want." The girl finished, letting a saucy smirk come over her lips before getting up from her spot, setting a slap on Hermione's leg and dismissing herself, saying something about a Potions essay she had put off for too long.

Hermione let a smile come over her face at the idea of what she was to do tomorrow if paid the same attention as she was today. She had never flirted with boys since Krum, and she hadn't even really had to flirt with him, because he didn't talk much, and wouldn't have left her alone even if she had told him to bugger off. This would be interesting to say the least.

Of course, the only question was, who? Hermione hated Malfoy with a loath of a thousand burning fires, but she would never say that he wasn't completely heart stoppingly gorgeous. He was of course. He was gorgeous and blonde and confident, and she would be lying of she said she didn't have the mild fantasy about secretly snogging with someone of his sort. He was not scary though, for Hermione knew there was nothing hidden about the boy that could sway her judgment of him. He was the living image of the phrase 'what you see is what you get', and what she had gotten from him all these years was a slimy git that she could never be attracted to.

But Blaise, well Blaise was Draco's opposite in the sense of the term, and that would make him prefect, but because of his perfection it made it near impossible for the girl to have an understandable conversation with him. She had practically been dieing just to stand there and talk to him mere moments ago, and when he had neared her she had literally stiffened like a board, feeling the urge to run away from him like a victim animal being stalked by a predator, but didn't have the ability to move. His fingers grazing her skin had caused a burning sensation, intensified by the chilly autumn breeze that had been blowing, scaring her half to death. She just plain didn't like being around him because he caused her stomach to twist up and her throat to tighten uncomfortably.

Hermione honestly wasn't sure who she would rather have paying her attention. The boy who she hated but was suddenly rethinking, or the boy she had always fantasized about, but was scared to death of.

Why did romance have to be so annoying complicated. It was like a bad potions recipes. And Hermione _hated_ potions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**  
Ground Rules

Blaise prided himself for being able to get into someone head. Ever since he was young her was able to pick out someone's weakness and use it against them, or end up getting to them so that they remember him in some way. That had been his goal for Hermione. He hadn't wanted her to cling to him in an instant, but he at least wanted her to wonder, and Blaise knew when Hermione had left him in the Atrium he had left the mark on her that he had wanted.

Blaise had returning to the Slytherin common rooms soon after she had left, although he did wait an little bit in the Atrium before trailing the girl back to the castle, not wanting Hermione to think that he was following her in any way. For his whole walk he had been smirking, almost overly please with the reaction he had gotten, actually surprised that the lioness had been so docile, compared to the completely spiteful girl that she could be whenever Draco was around.

But perhaps that was it. Perhaps it was just Draco that turned her into the raging female that Blaise knew her so well as. After all, most of his encounters with her had been with Draco nearby in some way, Blaise and Draco had been rather inseparable over the last few years after all.

Without the blonde loaming over the situation, she had been rather, appealing. Not that Blaise was saying he was going for her. It was just a game after all. But in all honestly, it's not like they were trying to get Millicent to fall in love with them. (Blaise would never do that to Draco let alone himself.) They were trying to get a beautiful, smart, quick-witting girl to fall in love with them.

Blaise ran a hand through his hair lightly as he wandered into the common room, knowing it was empty just by the fact that it was so quiet. If the place was occupied, you almost always walked in on the sound of fast girl voices rambling on about the most resent rumors, or the sounds of heavy snogging. He found a breath coming from his lips as he relaxed slightly, always feeling more at home when in the common room.

"Where the hell have you been Zabini?" The voice came from behind the dark haired boy when he had turned to close the portal door behind him. Slightly louder then necessary, the volume and pure shock of the sudden sound caused Blaise's shoulders to flinch slightly in surprise. Draco had a smirk on his face when Blaise had turned around to see the boy nearly on top of him he was so close, and Blaise laughed in reply, slightly at himself and slightly at his friend as he gave Draco a bit of a shove to get him out of his personal space.

"Had things to do. People to see. Muggle-borns to have melt at my feet." Blaise replied, acting as if it was the simplest thing in the world that he was just out playing himself up in front of Hermione. He had caught a smirk flash over Draco's face as the blonde followed Blaise up the stairs to the dorm rooms.

"Oh really? I hope you're heart didn't break too hard when you found out that she was already in love with me." Draco replied, and Blaise let out a bit of a laugh.

"Oh the contrary Prince of the Egotistical, according to the maiden, she was rather confused by your display of affection." Blaise replied once the two had entered the dorms and he had let himself flop down onto his bed, which was one of the two beds nearest to the fireplace in the room. Blaise had taken this bed in his second year when he had found out the dorms where miserably cold in the winter. Of course, he only ended up switching with Goyle because of Draco, meaning Blaise was in debt to the blonde for it. Taking a moment to absorb the comfort of the mattress, Blaise found himself sighing slightly before loosening his tie a little and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, feeling all the less stuffy by just by doing so.

"Making it easy for me to snake in and sweep her off her feet. She ended up practically shagging me with her eyes." He finished, feeling it necessary for him to leave out the fact that it had been himself who had been jumping ahead of the game seemingly uncontrollably. He let a laugh out when Draco had tossed a pillow at him roughly, not expecting it.

Draco ended up laying on the bed with him after a moment, a sigh finding his lips as well as he laid there, and Blaise turned his head to the side to perhaps see on the boys face the reason for that breath.

"I hate you." Draco muttered after a moment, glancing out of the corner of his eye before letting his lips curl slightly and tapping Blaise playfully in the stomach with the pillow again.

"Why Hermione huh? She's completely and totally against me in all ways. Honestly, if we were the last two people on earth, she would kill herself before even _considering_ snogging me." Draco said, and Blaise let a frown cross his features before it turned back into a wide grin.

"Don't be such a Drama Queen. So she's a bit of a challenge. It's not like you don't like one every now and then anyway. And you can't deny the fact that you two are pretty well exactly the same, because you know you'd probably bet her to killing yourself if you were the last two people on earth." Blaise had ended up rolling over onto his stomach, making it so that he was laying right next to Draco, their shoulders touching in a way that would be uncomfortable for other good friends, but was little to nothing for these two. Resting his head on folded arms in front of him, he watched Draco adjust his arms to be crossed casually behind his head, a very common thing for the blonde to do when he was comfortable.

"I don't know, she has quite a figure on her. I'd at least consider it." Draco replied, defending himself, not even taking notice when his dark haired friend had moved closer.

"You noticed too? I was wondering if I had been seeing things." Blaise said, letting a smile crawl over his features as he saw one on Draco's.

"She wasn't all tangled up in her robes today, that's why." Draco replied, sounding slightly absentminded as he let his eyes fall shut while saying the words. Blaise watched him silently as he lay there, gorgeous even though lightly lashed eyelids covered his striking gray eyes. Blaise followed the line of his slightly pointed nose, the seemingly permanent curl on his lips, the sharp contour of his jaw coming in from his chin and leading up to his hairline. The boy always liked how Draco's hair fell over his eyes at times. Draco complained about it often, threaten to cut it off or wear it like he did back in second year, but Blaise knew he would never change the long strands of bangs that played around his vision constantly. Blaise liked them too much.

Blaise shifted slightly, shouldering Draco faintly to get the boys attention back before speaking.

"We should set down some rules. We didn't last time." He remarked, and Draco shrugged, nodding slightly before letting the back of one of his hands lay over his eyes delicately, as if to block out the dim light from the torches in the room.

"Your game, you first." Draco replied, and Blaise paused for a moment, thinking before rolling over again, this time towards his bedside table, rummaging in the drawer for a piece of parchment and his Quick Quote Quill. The quill had been a gift from his mother when he had told her he wanted to be a writer the year before. It wasn't exactly convenient for writing a novel, but for little things like this it was prefect.

"One. The winner is the first one to get her to say, "I love you." No words or mind tricks to make her say it." Blaise said, watching the quill spark to life against the parchment as he quickly copied down what he had said. Blaise turned his eyes back to Draco, who had been smiling slightly.

"Ok. Two. A player will not interfere with the other. Once a player is alone with her, said player has right over her until he leaves. Exceptions include times that she might bring the opposing player into the situation without prior notice, in which case the unwelcome must figure out a way to leave as quickly as he is able without drawing suspicion." Draco said, letting his voice take a tone that mocked someone of superior intelligence, making fun of the way the rules were being dictated. Blaise let out a bit of a laugh at his tone.

"Three. No player can spend more then four consecutive hours with the playee, by chance that any longer might be considered interference with the other players chances." Blaise ended up getting a bit of a laugh from Draco with his addition to the blonde's prior rule, both boys knowing very well that he had tried to slip that in to perhaps give himself the advantage of winning by just always being with Hermione.

"Four. The game is not talked about outside private conversations. It cannot be used to sway Hermione's decision, and it cannot be told to an outside party. Each player can talk as much or as little about his strategy as he wants, but neither can milk the playee for information." Blaise rolled his eyes slightly at this one, showing it as being a playful tease towards Draco's unimaginative rule. This one had been a basic rule for all their games. In reply to the look, Blaise received a bit of a shove of his head from a slender fingered hand.

The dark haired boy took a moment to think up a new one, and when he did he let a smirk fall over his features, debating beforehand if he would be going to far with this rule, but knowing that it was necessary for him to make it of he wanted to win.

"Five. Hermione gives the first kiss. No exceptions." Blaise laughed rather childishly at Draco's face at this one, curling up his body slightly to protect himself as Draco attacked him with a pillow once again.

"That's hardly fair Zabini." Draco commented, and Blaise faked a frown, even though he knew it was true. It wasn't exactly fair, but then again, it wasn't fair that Draco had a way of getting whatever he wanted through a kiss. Somehow the slender, blonde haired, Slytherin heartthrob had mastered the art of making out, and in doing so found his own power, and found a way of making others submissive to that power.

After all, Blaise had encountered this first hand, in more ways then just one, and he knew exactly what Draco could get with a kiss.

"Aw why? Because then you would actually have to make her fall in love with your personality?" Blaise asked, poking fun at the blonde's less then appealing qualities, getting another hit, although this one was slightly more gentle then the others.

"That's exactly why. You're just trying to make it more impossible then it already is." Draco complained, letting himself settle on the bed again, this time sitting up as Blaise stayed laid on his back. The dark haired teen took this moment to snicker to himself slightly, but when a seriously annoyed look slowly crawled over Draco's face as he sat, a pang of guilt hit Blaise. He hadn't meant to actually upset the boy.

"You need to specify exactly what type of kissing you mean then, I don't want to loss on a technicality." Draco added after a moment, looking over his shoulder slightly at his friend. Blaise let out a breath, signifying himself thinking, even though he really wasn't, before turning his blue eyes back to the steel of Draco's, seeing that little bit of annoyance in the storm that was the blonde's gaze.

"Well," Blaise started, lifting himself to sit like Draco was, pulling a leg up onto his mattress so that it was folded under him slightly. If the boy was going to get all flustered about it, Blaise would just have to make it up to him.

"Why don't you give me a few examples and I'll tell you if I consider it kissing or not." Blaise had a smirk on his face, one that gave away his meaning almost as plainly as explaining his thought process in intricate detail would. Of course some might not have understood what that gaze meant, but this was Draco he was talking to.

"And have someone walk in?" Draco asked, his eyes rolling, but only after they had given away his obvious interest in the offer. Blaise copied that bit of an eye roll, moving a tad closer to the boy in a very discreet manner, although he knew Draco had realized, because when Blaise's shoulder touch his he had tightened up every so slightly.

"You know Crabbe and Goyle are down in the kitchen pigging out on leftovers from dinner like they are _every _other evening, and Theodore is sneaking around the grounds with Pansy's friend Justine. Anyway, doesn't the risk make it all the more exciting?" Blaise retorted, seeing his view on the situation falling into Draco eyes as he spoke, again moving closer so now he was able to smell the familiar scent of his friend. Draco had a fresh smell, like that of morning dew, covered by the strong driftwood and cinnamon scent of his cologne. Blaise was sure it was ten times better then his smell, his being no doubt musty like the books that he spent most of his time with. Blaise would kill for an extra few moment of his friends scent tickling his senses in his daily routine.

Blaise enjoyed being close friends with Draco because he was probably the only person who could persuade Draco into doing things that he thought were stupid at first contemplation. Draco was one to go with his first instinct, and if he thought something wouldn't work at first consideration, he didn't do it. But, Blaise had a way of convincing Draco to weigh the odds. The teen remembered persuading the boy to sneak out of the common room in fourth year and steal some of Snape fire whiskey. At first Draco had denied the offer, saying the risk of being caught was too high, but Blaise ended up making up a story about Snape being away for the long weekend and they would never be found out. The story wasn't true, but they weren't seen and they ended up having the best night possibly out of all the nights they had spent at Hogwarts.

Draco had surprised Blaise with how quick he had given in, and how quick he suddenly had his lips connected with the other boys. Blaise couldn't help but smile the slightest bit at his triumph, breaking from Draco for a moment to take in a breath that he hadn't gotten the chance to take before being attacked. Draco allowed it before starting at him again, rougher this time now that Blaise had accepted the kissing. Those familiar slender fingers ended up tangled in dark hair soon after as Draco held Blaise too him, a signature Malfoy move.

"I knew you'd see it my way." The blue-eyed teen said as he brought a hand up to the one that was in his hair, scratching nails playfully over the blonde's wrist. Draco pulled away for a moment, Blaise smiling ever so slightly before nudging his nose against the other boy's and then snatching a large piece of his shirt and tugging it to bring the boy with him as he laid down.

"Unfortunately." Draco replied, Blaise hearing from the blonde immediately after those words a sound that reminded him very much of a cat's purr as the black haired boy finally ran a hand up from the back of Draco's neck and into the hair of his company. The sound made a smile come on his lips while locked with the other teen's. Draco had always had a thing about hair. He liked to play with anyone else's and he melted when someone played with his. That was probably one of the only reasons he went out with Pansy from time to time. He adored how much she touched his hair.

Draco's kept one hand somewhere around Blaise's neck or jaw, using it to pull the boy into harder kisses, one which Blaise would have done just as roughly even if the blonde wasn't pulling him. When not pulling at him the hand would rub at his neck slightly. His other hand roamed over Blaise's ribs, his thumb and fingers pressing ever so slightly so that they trailed over each rib through his white cotton shirt, as if count them, Blaise replying with his own pleasant sound at the sensation. The hand that was still fisted in a piece of Draco shirt pulled at it again sharply, bringing the blondes lean frame closer in a quick motion.

This is what Draco could do with a kiss. His kisses made the person being kissed want to do anything to please him in return. His kisses made the person helpless, lead them somewhere that included only being kissed, and Blaise knew this all too well. Blaise found himself biting roughly at his own lip when Draco had moved to his neck, a gasp when the blonde had bite at the tender skin at his collar bone, only making a smirk find Draco's lips against the skin.

It was at times like this when Blaise understood the girls that fawned over Draco like he was a god; a god of sex appeal and of pleasure, supplying the woman with something to fantasy about, something to hope for, a goal to reach. Draco supplied satisfaction to the animal urges that all humans had, therefore making him very powerful. The dark haired boy felt a burning his chest, the ghost of losing the last bit of control over himself. It was ironic, because losing control was what the boys were trying to avoid by doing what they were doing at the moment.

"I think I'd consider this kissing." Blaise breathed, trying his best to bring himself back to reality, hearing a chuckle from Draco through the throbbing beat of his heart in his ears. Blaise eyes rolled back as he craned his neck, Draco's touch following over his Adam's apple, light like a feather now. He knew somewhere behind the kisses his hand was tight in Draco's hair, but that was beyond him. The blonde paused away from the skin he had been trailing lips over and Blaise brought his head back down slightly and crashed his mouth with the boys again, having his lower lip tugged slightly by Draco's straight teeth, teasing him, causing a moan to come from his throat.

Blaise, even though enjoying the domination a little too much, soon felt impossibly helpless in the situation, and that's something that could get to a boy if it lasted too long. See, boys liked knowing they were in control, which was probably the biggest problem with same sex relationships. No one could exactly be happy all the time. But there was other ways of showing who's was in control, and Blaise knew he was going to have to resort to this 'other way' when Draco had refused Blaise's silent suggestion to roll over.

Blaise lifted his head slightly off the bed for another kiss when Draco had moved away for a breathe, stealing the slimmer boy's lips back a little quicker then he would have liked, but Blaise's lips were accepted hastily none the less. This kiss was Blaise's last attempt at dominance though, and he knew he had succeeded when Draco pulled away shapely, the result of a nip from Blaise on his lower lip.

"Ow." Draco said, his voice a whisper but all the same came out in a wined tone. Blaise smirked ever so slightly at the pause in their dreaded hormone induced session, the pressure that had been forming inside of him diminishing now as the pace of their escalating snogging stopped all together. What was expected of Draco now flashing in Blaise's eyes with that smirk, and the blonde sighed, knowing exactly what that bite had meant, then snagged the boy by his shirt, pulling him over as Draco's back found the bed, starting another kiss, with Blaise forcing into it overtop the blonde this time.

All in moderation. Both parties can be pleased as long as neither was too selfish. They had learned that a long time ago.

---------

Blaise had always liked mornings. Even though the morning usually symbolized dragging yourself out of the comforts of bed and facing another boring day, for Blaise it simply symbolized a new day with new things to do. Morning included many wonderful things. Things like sunrises and the smell of morning dew on grass, perhaps because it reminded him ever so slightly of Draco, the intoxicating silence because everyone was still sleeping, the feeling of warm crisp cotton sheets. And, he couldn't forget the breakfast at Hogwarts. Breakfast had to be Blaise's favorite meal of the day.

The boy munched away at his pancakes that morning while thinking about nothing in particular, keeping his eyes out for Hermione for no reason really while watching Draco from across the table idly as he whispered sweet nothings casually into Daphne's ear. He ended up shaking his head slightly at the blonde, never really understanding Draco's infatuation with flirting. He would flirt with a plant if no one were watching.

The worst part of Draco's little playful suggestions to anyone nearby was the fact that Blaise ended up having to be look out, only because if he didn't do so, and Draco got caught being the man-whore he was, Blaise himself, being a close associate with Draco, would also be considered one, and Blaise refused to let Draco have power over that.

Blaise spotted the long dark hair of Draco's current girlfriend, and then discreetly moved his hand to block his lips before clearing his voice rather loudly. Twitching his head in Tracey's direction when Draco had caught his eye, he let a smirk crawl over his lips again and turned eyes back down to his food after he'd rolled them slightly.

"Tracey." Draco said when he had looked over at the approaching girl, shooing the hand of Daphne off his leg before giving a smile towards his girlfriend and beckoning her to sit next to him. She sent one of her thin smiles in his direction and continued over, trailing a hand over his shoulders before taking a seat next to him. Well, practically on his lap actually. She kiss him quick and smiled evilly when she pulled away sharply, Draco replying by bring a hand to her cheek and leading her back for a longer snog, Draco ending up pulling her the rest of the way onto his lap during the kisses.

"And where were you two last night? I was looking forward to doing some homework in the common room together after dinner but both of you just up and disappeared." Tracey asked after she had broken away from the Slytherin that had been stuck to her face, her lips turning into a slight pout as she rested a hand on Draco's shoulder and played with the fuzz hair at the back of his neck. She hadn't even looked in Blaise's direction, but he ignored that fact, knowing it was only because Draco was staring at her with his stormy gaze.

"Nothing in particular. We both had things to do I guess." Draco replied after he had released her from his gaze and moved it to Blaise for a moment, then turned it down to the food in front of him. Blaise watched the girl make a bit of a face before sighing playfully.

"Ah, had some guy stuff to do I would presume?" she asked, making a bit of a laugh in the back of her throat, this question directed more towards Blaise, considering Draco had taken a mouthful of orange juice.

"You could say that." Blaise said, letting his lip curl slightly when Draco had caught his glance over his juice goblet, those steel eyes smirking with him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**  
Teasing and Note Passing

Draco had know that Blaise had been keeping an eye out for Hermione all morning, he could always tell when the boy was trying to be discreet, and this was probably the reason why he was looking for her too. He had noticed her come into the Great Hall while looking out of the corner of his eye. It had been during mail delivery, and the paper that he had been set out in front of the blonde's company had distracted his icy blue eyes. Draco had been somewhat surprised that he himself had noticed the girl, because usually he liked to watch Blaise read. There was just something about him when he was reading, his eyes turned from his usual playful to serious, and it was always intriguing. He would love to catch Blaise with his nose in a novel every now and then in the dorms, because it gave him time to sit and watch those blue eyes skim over the font on the page, his lips turning up into a grin every now and then, off in his own world.

Hermione didn't stay for long, and soon after Draco noticed her shape stepping swiftly back out into the halls of the school. He let his lip curl gracefully, putting the empty glass that he had been holding down on the table and turning his attention to Blaise for a moment.

"Excuse me, but I have a Muggle-born to stalk." He said in a quiet tone, not exactly afraid of his girlfriend hearing considering she was in a very deep conversation with Pansy, but still feeling it necessary to speak in a low tone to keep from being heard by eavesdroppers. Blaise let his eyes roll slightly, a smirk on his features as he turned his gaze back down to the paper in front of him, then Draco got up elegantly and snuck off. He had been surprised that no one paid much attention to his departure, but then again, usually when he didn't want to be followed, some way or another people knew it.

He was lucky he got out so quick. When he was out of the hall he saw the girl just finishing walking up the main stairway to the second floor, and he went off after her, a casually quick pace, something that could be disguise as simply walking if need be. He wouldn't want someone he knew to see him and question why he was trying to catch up to Granger.

Even with this pace he ended up being able to catch her quickly, for she was walking heedlessly, as if in no rush to get anywhere in particular, a rare occurrence for the girl in his opinion. He followed her for a little while without her knowing of his presence, finding himself enjoying the slight sway of her hips a little to much, and deciding it would be best to stop watching incase she was simply pretending to not know he was there and turned around to catch him staring.

"Don't make me hex you." Draco called out to the girl, making her flick her head around quickly in surprise, confirming that he had been following her without her knowledge for the while now. She let her brows come together slightly before returning he head forward and continuing walking.

"And why would you hex me?" she asked, not even turning around to look at the boy during the inquiry.

"Well if you make me ask you to walk with me, I'll have to hex you to level it out. Don't want it getting around that I'm a nice guy." Draco replied, finding a smirk fall over his features as her feet stopped, her shoulders dropping slightly in defeat as she waiting for him.

"And yet your willing to risk it getting out that you fancy me?" she asked while starting to walk again once he had reached her side. He could tell just by her tone that she was looking for confirmation, fishing for a little bit of something that could perhaps explain his behavior. He let out a bit of a chuckle before turning around to walk backwards slowly, to see her face to face as they strolled, putting his hands comfortably in his pockets.

"No one would believe you even if you told them, so there's no risk. That's the brilliance of it." He replied, letting his smirk turn slightly cheeky as he saw her roll her eyes, knowing he had not supplied her with what she had wanted. For some reason he loved how she rolled them though, not when she was doing it out of stupidity towards someone like in class when someone got the answer to a professor's question wrong, but when she was rolling them to signify how stupidly charming someone was being. She'd do it with the smallest smile on her face, something perhaps not even noticeable to the regular person, but when you were trained in the art of reading people like Draco, you caught the little things like that smile.

"I guess you're right. I don't even believe it." She replied in a slightly forced unimpressed tone, letting her head swagger slightly with confidence, as if daring him to prove it somehow. Well if she was going to be like that. Draco stopped, causing her to nearly run into him before she got the sense to stop also. She frowned slightly, looking up at him to question his abrupt pause in their stroll, but he would explain it soon enough.

"Do I need to prove it to you?" He asked, letting a slender eyebrow raise ever so slightly at his own question, seeing her face fall nervous for a moment as she realized what that inquire suggested. She cleared her throat after a moment, then shrugged her dainty shoulders.

"I think you might. You have yet to prove anything except the fact that you're very good at mind games." Hermione replied, holding a strong tone to her voice as she replied, Draco watching as her height grew about a half an inch when she stood straight to perhaps intimidate him a little. He wouldn't exactly say that it worked. Draco couldn't help but let his surprise at her boldness show on his face, before letting his head tilt slightly, contemplating her invitation.

Before she had a chance to oppose he had taken the hardcover book that she had been hugging to her chest and moved it to hang from his hand by his side. With the other hand he brushed her hair away from her cheek, holding the nap of her neck to bring her quickly to him, her body pressed close to his frame. He could see the surprise that fell into her eyes, and awkward aura falling over her as her cheeks quickly turned a violent red. Draco leaned his head down to her feeling a hitch in her breathing, her chest pressing more against his as she took in a deep breath. Catching a hot exhale on his lips as it left her mouth, a smirk crawled over his features as her eyes fell shut and her body nearly melted.

He paused hardly a hair from her lips, letting his own breath graze over the tender skin of them before bringing the hand that was in her hair and letting the thumb trail gentle over the line of her mouth. He felt her holding back a frustrating sigh as he leaned in to instead whisper to her ear.

"You're not ready for that. I don't want to scare you off." He murmured, letting that hand move from her lips to graze over her neck gently, her skin breaking out in goose bumps, causing a grin to break out over his face at her shiver. He pulled away, holding out her book to her and she took it with shaken hands before he turned away, setting back down the hall.

Oh, he was good.

-----------

Hermione rushed into the second floor bathroom, letting her book fall to the floor ungracefully as she hurried to a sink, letting the water run on cold before bending down and splashing her face with the liquid. He heart was still racing, not exactly helped by the fact that she had taken off so quickly, but she knew the fact that she could hear it as if it was inside her head was because of him.

She looked up at herself in the mirror, freezing water dripping off her small nose and pink lips, the curly hair that made up her long bangs also slightly wet from the hurried splash, but her cheeks were still furiously red, and her breathing was still heavy as if she had just ran a marathon. She turned away from her reflection, annoyed with it, and tried her best to calm herself, taking a few deep breaths as she let her eyes fall shut to try and relax. She lifted the bottom of her robe and whipped her face dry with it, her mind still so shocked that it was yet to awake from the state.

A finally breath was released as she relaxed, shaken and long before she moved to the wall and let herself slide down to sit on the floor, grabbing her potions book that she had tossed nearby and let it sit on her lap.

What. Was. That?

As if on cue her mind sprang to life with a million different reasons as to why Draco would even come that close to kissing her, why she had melted into him like that, why on earth she was still red with the heat of their encounter. Most of the ideas said he was playing with her. He knew how much it was affecting her; he had to know, as much as Hermione hated to admit how obvious it was. That had to be it, but even so, he wouldn't do this just to bug her. He did a perfectly find job of pushing her buttons by calling her mud-blood ever other minute.

So, what on earth was that?

Hermione found herself letting out a very frustrated huff, completely perplex and exasperated. It was like going into an exam with absolutely no time to study, and not even knowing what subject. She felt completely helpless. And only knowing a very small part of the situation only made it worst.

Draco was flirting with her, and it was weird.

Blaise had been absolutely no help either. He had seemed to dance around the subject better then a ballerina, and it practically had her fuming with frustration. Then again, did she really think it would be that easy to figure out what was going on? With her luck Blaise was probably in on it all, it would make sense considering the two of the boys were so close. Only, Blaise had been showing just as much interest.

Ginny said to act as if it hadn't happened, and if they were at it again to go with whatever she felt. Well, she felt completely annoyed, but at the same time couldn't ignore the heat that had fallen over her being that close to the Slytherin Prince. Then again, perhaps it was all in her head. After all, it was only common for a girl to act in such a way when approached as such. It was the way that the body reacts. She hated Malfoy, even if he was gorgeous, she did not have any feelings for him except mutual hatred.

Her eyes rolled at her own mind trying to convince itself into an explication. If someone that could read thoughts were nearby they would seriously think she was having some sort of mental breakdown.

-------------

"I love life." Draco said to Blaise from his perch on the railing of the Entrance Hall staircase. He had watched the boy slip out from the Great Hall moments before, unaware the Draco was watching him, and almost walked completely by him on his way to the dungeon. At Draco's voice Blaise had shook slightly from being startle, drawn away from his casual thoughts as he turned his head quickly to bring attention to Draco, his long form laying delicately on the thick banister.

"Oh really, and what exactly do you love about it?" Blaise asked as Draco lifted himself and pretty well bounded over to his friend. Blaise, afraid of being attack, hunched himself slightly for protection, but was only greeted by Draco's arm wrapping around his shoulders. Blaise was once again aware of the boy's scent, feeling an unusual comfort take over him as he strolled with the blonde's arm hanging lazily around his neck.

"Well, I have a beautiful girlfriend, a best friend like no other, and I am currently winning the heart of a filthy mud-blood, in turn winning this stupid little game that you thought up." He replied, a grin spreading on his prefect thin lips tauntingly. Blaise couldn't help but grin when he was mentioned in that phrase, knowing very well that he was the best friend that Draco could possibly have, for numerous reasons. Blaise dared a hand around the boy's waist delicately, letting his thumb sneak under the fabric of the blonde's trousers then allowing his hand to hang at the boy's thin hips. If anyone was around they wouldn't even noticed the movement, it being away from spying eyes thanks to the heavy robes that both the boys wore. Draco did nothing to acknowledge this movement except perhaps come a little closer.

"And what makes you think she falling for you already? It doesn't count if you tripped her and she fell you know." Blaise replied through his smile, letting out a laugh when Draco's hand came into contact with the back of his head playfully.

"Why would you think that I would trip her? I'm thoroughly offended that everyone has this horrible perception of me." Draco tried his best to seem as if he really was offended, but that curl at the corner of his lips gave away his lie.

"You don't look it. Maybe because you know that you've tripped her at least a dozen times before, and of course enjoyed it more and more with each fall." The dark haired boy commented, catching his company's lips open the slightest bit more into a coy grin that confirmed his words.

"And yet you're still friends with me." Draco retorted, sending him a glace out of the corner of his silver eyes that showed intrigue. Blaise, not even stirred by the look, let a shrug roll over his shoulders.

"I like my friends sick and twisted. It makes me seem like an angel." Letting his own blue eyes turn a suggestive look towards the boy, he caught a slender eyebrow raise slightly.

"Oh really," Draco paused and dragged on his word for a moment before letting a hand mixed with the dark hair of his friend. Using the hand he brought the boys head slightly closer to him, enough so that he could breath words into his ear.

"And the fact that I can make you moan louder then any of your girlfriends has nothing to do with it?" His voice had went husky in his whisper, hot on Blaise's skin, a faint reminder of the night before, and the boy couldn't help but let out a sharp breath as goose bumps flowed over his skin. The hand that he had around the blonde's waist formed into a fist tangled with some of the soft cotton of his shirt, and at this motion those lips that had been all over his skin too many times before let a grin pass them.

"And this is why you're sick and twisted." Blaise replied, getting a bit of a chuckle from the blonde, only realizing then that they had stopped in the middle of a dark dungeon corridor, plainly out in the opened if anyone happened to be heading to or from the Slytherin Common Room. Blaise found his hand slipped from around the boy as well as realizing the absence of the slender arm that had been around his shoulder as they ended up facing each other, barely inches apart.

"You wouldn't have me any other way." Draco replied, those slender fingers grabbing at Blaise's belt and jerking him closer so that their chests ended up touching, resulting in another sharp breath from the dark haired boy as their lips came dangerously close. Blaise fought off the urge to pull the boy behind a suit of armor as he stood there, determined not to give Draco the satisfaction of toying with him, even though it was clearly obvious he was faltering.

"Careful Draco, if someone sees, they might get the wrong idea." Blaise said this with an amazingly level tone, shining a bit of playfulness in the words even though his eyes were roving with an animal hunger over the lips of the blonde. His shoulder blades hit the stone of the wall, not even realizing that they had moved away from the center of the hall, the cold of the rock biting at his back through his robes.

"I would hardly think you would care. After all, doesn't the risk make it all the more exciting?" Draco's voice was tauntingly smooth as he quoted his company from the night before, as if showing up Blaise's steady reply, and revealing exactly what he was toying with the boy for. The teen couldn't help but let out a hopeless laugh as he let his head fall back slightly in his realization. Draco took advantage of the bit of revealed neck and placed a kiss on the boy, Blaise immediately regretting his action when he found himself melting at the other Slytherin's gentle attack.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to jeopardize anything. I think maybe I should stop." These words where once again spoken in a husky murmur into Blaise's ear after the blonde's lips had trailed over skin. Once finished his words Draco released the other boy completely and started off back down the hall as if nothing had happened. Blaise let out a groan of annoyance, finding himself thoroughly ready then to do whatever the blonde wanted to do right then and there, and feeling horribly disappointed when that 'whatever' was to continue walking.

"I hate you." He called out to Draco, watching the boy as he sauntered down the hall. Blaise willed himself to start walking again, a few paces behind his friend. The blonde threw his head back in a taunting laugh, then turned slightly to reply over his shoulder.

"Only because you want me so bad it hurts. Now you know how Granger feels, and now you know why I'm winning." Draco said, a wicked grin finding his features, the boy getting a bit of a shove from Blaise in reply to those words.

---------------

Blaise never really liked potions, and honestly, Draco had to be the only person that the dark haired boy had ever met you actually enjoyed it a little. It was probably because it was the one class that Draco excelled at, and when he did shine he got much more praise then necessary because Snape was positively in love with the kid. Draco had stuck himself to Blaise a few years ago as a potions partner, only because Blaise was the smartest of his friends and would be the one Slytherin who wouldn't leach off Draco's natural talent or pull his mark down in any way. Blaise didn't mind honestly, because he found it very easy to work with the blonde, therefore they usually excelled in potions together, every once in a while even getting a better mark then Hermione and whomever she ended up partnered with.

In turn the two of them ruled their potions class that they shared with the Gryffindors. Of course, when you had to rule a class along with the Slytherin Prince himself, it made it rather difficult to be appealing to a well-natured Gryffindor like Hermione, and considering it was one of only two classes that Blaise shared with the girl, it limited his chances of catching her attention easily.

Blaise remembered of course the year before when Draco and he had gotten the Golden Trio a weeks worth of detention when the two Slytherin's had told Snape it had been the Trio who spilt the goat stomach acid that they had been using for a potion, in turn leaving a horrible green stain on the stone floor. Of course, it had been Blaise and Draco who had done it, but Snape was not going to believe that if he didn't have to. The Trio were livid, and Blaise was sure that he would be making up for that, and many other times he had done Hermione wrong in Potions. Of course, she seemed to channel most of he hatred towards Draco usually, which made things a little easier, but not much.

Draco and Blaise were already in the classroom with a few other people when Harry, Ron and Hermione entered. The two boys were talking quickly about something that neither Draco nor Blaise really cared about. Obviously Hermione couldn't have cared less either, because her eyes were somewhat glazed over as she walked, as if deep in thought, and it proved what she was thinking about when her eyes flicked back to reality and landed on Draco. With the lack of her usual livid, burning stare, she simply moved her gaze away from him timidly, as if startled that she had been caught stealing a glance in his direction, an obvious flush coming over her cheeks.

Draco let his head fall back slightly, turning it in Blaise's direction, as if looking for a reaction to that glance that they had both seen. Blaise let his eyes roll quickly, catching a smirk on his friends lips.

"Watch this." Draco whispered to the boy as Hermione and her two friends approached. Ron and Harry passed with nothing more then the usual glares in the blonde's direction, but Hermione, who had a bit of discomfort in her eyes, tired her best to pass without looking at him. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and went to plow forward, nose slightly in the air, but Draco cut her off when he let himself slip off the desk he had been sitting on with Blaise and stand right in her way. Hermione pulled to a fast halt in front of the blonde so that she didn't run into him, then, her nervousness turning into annoyance, she set her jaw and folded her arms delicately across her chest.

"Excuse me Malfoy, I'm trying to get to my seat." She said, her voice venomous, eyes glaring daggers like the usual Hermione that both Slytherin's knew so well.

"That's hardly a pleasant greeting Granger." Draco replied, side stepping when she had tried to sneak her way around him, only making her give up on the attempt by giving a very heavy sigh.

"I really don't think a _pleasant_ greeting is in order. When have you ever done anything to me that deserved anything _pleasant_ in reply?" Hermione said in a pointed tone.

"Why don't you shove off Malfoy?" The words were heard from Harry's mouth, but Draco didn't even seem to take notice to the scared head of Harry Potter, or anything coming from his mouth for that matter. He simply let his eyes roam over to Blaise for a moment in a offhand manner, receiving a smirk from his partner in crime before laying those silver optics on the girl in front of him again.

"That hurts Granger, and I would have thought you'd at least _try_ to be polite after our chat earlier today. The least you could do is call me Draco like I requested." Draco let an eyebrow rise as he dared a step forward, only making the girl step back.

"I'll stop calling you Malfoy once you actually act in a way that your father wouldn't." She spat in a low tone, enough for only the few people around them to hear, Blaise included. The dark haired boy moved to his feet, seeing the look that had fallen over Draco's face for the moment after she had let those words escape her mouth, as if she had slapped him across the face. Draco hated being compared to his father, he had hated it ever since he was young, and Blaise had a feeling that it was because he knew exactly how much he was like Lucius. That comment coming from Hermione's mouth had been a low blow.

Blaise went to move over to the boy, perhaps to comfort him, or hold him back from hexing the girl, whichever he decided to do, but Draco sent a warning glare his direction, which caused Blaise to stop in his tracks. Draco then turned his attention to putting out his arm to catch Hermione again as she tried to move around him, making a block between him and the desk over with his slender arm, and causing her to run into it as she had tried to get away at a bit of a run.

"I hardly think my father has anything to do with this, considering he wouldn't even converse with someone like you. I thought you would at least realize that I'm not my father. Don't make me pay for things my father has done." Draco's voice was a low whisper, but Hermione heard it, and she wasn't sure if she could feel guilty because of the hurt tone in his voice, or annoyed, because he had once again suggested that she was of a different species of creature from him, like an animal. She brought eyes back up to his steel ones, once again glaring daggers, but surprisingly finding her glare soften the slightest bit when she met his eyes.

"Can I please get past, _Draco_." She spat his name like it tasted awful, much worst then she would ever say his surname, and Blaise saw those silver eyes narrow slightly, knowing it was time to intervene.

"Ok Draco, why don't you just let the girl go?" He said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder to pull his attention away from the bookish girl in front of him. Draco flicked his eyes in Blaise's direction, giving him another bit of a warning glare, but Blaise sent it right back, almost making Draco's jaw drop. He allowed his arm to fall, giving passage to Hermione, all while staring at Blaise with a rather alarming annoyance.

Hermione looked slightly surprised that the blonde had given up so easily, but never the less let a smile cross her lips when she glanced at Blaise. The boy returned it, knowing that had been a silent thank you, before Harry and Ron pulled her off to the other side of the room where their desks were, both boys muttering annoyance under their breath.

Blaise's attention was pulled away from Hermione when Draco smacked him across the head. Blaise flung up a hand to rub his skull, turning blue eyes back to Draco, questioning what on earth that violence at been for, but seeing it immediately when he caught eyes with the boy.

"Sorry, but, you were going to far." Blaise said, trying his best to perhaps relieve himself a little of that stare.

"Sorry? I thought we agreed that there would be no intervening. You buggered everything up." Draco said, his voice starting out rather loud but decreasing into a silent hiss as he followed the boy to sitting.

"This is class. It's neutral grounds. And I hardly think I buggered anything up, on the contrary I think I might have saved you from killing her." Blaise replied, expected another hit, and letting out a bit of a thankful sigh when one didn't come.

"Yeah well, you didn't need to do it like you did. Now she thinks you're a bloody saint for helping her, and I'm sure I'm back to square one." Draco complained, letting himself hunch over to lay his head in his arms on the desk as he muttered quiet complaints. Blaise smiled slightly.

"Aw, poor thing." Blaise said in a teasing tone, having Draco send him another glare. The dark haired teen rolled his eyes and glanced around the classroom, assessing how low he would have to speak, then leaned slightly closer to Draco.

"How bout I make it up to you?" He said, coping Draco's almost silent tone that the blonde had used moments before in the hall, taking on a husky tenor that represented exactly what he meant by that suggestion. Draco didn't even look at him, but Blaise could tell that his annoyed gaze had softened, because his silver eyes had widened slightly from their narrowed glare, and his eyebrow had lifted the slightest bit, showing consideration.

"I hate you." Draco said playfully after Blaise had giving a very small mischievous smile when catching Draco's contemplation towards the suggestion, making a rather modest one crawl over Draco's lips also.

"Only because you want me so bad it hurts." Those words were said as serious as Blaise could manage, but when Draco buried his head in his arms to laugh slightly, Blaise couldn't help but let out his own chuckle.

"Quills and parchment out! We're taking notes." Snape's voice boomed after slamming the door to the room open and hurrying in, his robes flowing behind him. The sound pulled the two boys out of their playful bantering, both of them quickly turning to their bags to grab the necessary tools, before having a silent laugh at each other for how quickly they had moved. Snape waved a hand and what they were to copy appeared on the board, he then turned to his desk and put his eyes down onto papers that he had rested in front of him.

Blaise moved to copying notes immediately, dipping his quill in the ink pot that he had Draco shared and scribbling away on his parchment, hardly impressed with his fast, messy writing, but concluding that perhaps he would rewrite the notes later. Snape's notes tended to move fast, so if you delayed at all, you usually missed them. Blaise forgot how much he hated copying notes. It was one of those things that you tended to forget until you were giving the unfortunate task to do them again. Blaise was pretty sure that taking notes was so bad that your mind decides to spare you the horrible feeling of remembering times when you had to copy notes by just forgetting about the process all together, but that just tends to make it even worst when you have to go back and do it again.

He found his mind straying as he scrawled, thinking about that afternoon, to the night before, the rules, the game, then finally Hermione. At the thought of the girl he found his eyes turning from the board to the Gryffindor, her back to him, a seat over and a few up from were he and Draco sat.

Blaise had gotten an idea after glancing at Snape, who seemed nowhere near attentive to the class. The boy took a moment to glance his blue eyes at his potions partner again before bringing his gaze back to the girl they were both fighting for, biting at his lip as he tried to decide between the brilliant idea or taken down this notes.

They were probably important notes, Snape usually made them copy down important information, but then again...

Blaise found himself writing on a new piece of parchment before even realizing what he was doing. It seems that the dark haired boy would never know what the concluding pages of those notes would be.

He folding the paper he had wrote on up and set it on the edge of his desk, pulling his wand from his pocket and giving it the smallest wave. The paper sprung to life and quickly folded into the shape of a small snake, then slithered it's way down his desk, across the floor and up to Hermione.

Hermione had shook a little in surprise when the note had reached her, not seeing it until it had curled up beside her arm and gave her a small hiss. She frowned, her quill pausing from her fast scrawls, and she took a moment to look around, finding blue eyes staring at her immediately. They looked at her playfully, the smallest of smirks curved on Blaise's lips as he gave a little nod to beckon towards the note. She couldn't help but smile slightly at his antics before placing a hand around the snake shaped note. It unfolded back into a square under her palm, and then she grabbed it and quietly opened the note in her lap.

_I hear in muggle fairy tales when the Prince saves the Princess he gets a kiss._

Hermione couldn't help but let her mouth gap slightly, despite the large grin that was twinkling in her eyes, willing herself not to look back at him again for fear that be might see that smile shining through her features. She resisted letting out a bit of a playful huff before bringing her quill away from her copying and putting it to the crimpled piece of parchment in front of her. When she finished she set it down again, using her own charm to make it return over, this one being in the shape of a cat, which pouched and rolled playfully along the floor as it made it's way to him.

Blaise was surprisingly anxious for the response, and when the cat shaped parchment jumped onto his desk he snatched it immediately, unfolding it and letting his eyes skim over her big, neat writing.

_I would hardly consider you a Prince or me a Princess. But you did help me. Maybe a compromise is in order?_

He couldn't help but let a grin come over his features, finding her words overly charming, and quickly grabbed for his quill to reply. This time he didn't even bother putting a fancy charm on it, and just let it fly over to her as a wade of crumpled paper.

_I'm falling behind is History of Magic. Planning on taking a walk out to the lake during my open block today to study. Care to tutor? _

Hermione let yet another playful smile crawl over her features as she read, once again scrawling a reply and hexing it to return to Blaise.

_I hardly think you're falling behind. You sound like your fishing for something Zabini._

Blaise found a very coy look come over his face as he looked away from the note for a moment, catching eyes with the girl, the brown of her gaze shining mischievously before she sent back a nod that told him to look at the note again. He glanced down at her writing again, noticing he had yet to finish what she had written.

_I'll see what I can do._

_I'll see what I can do_? Blaise shot his eyes up again to send her a questioning look, to perhaps request conformation to those words, but she had already returned to taking notes, her back turned to him.

Had he just gotten Hermione Granger to agree to spend time with him? Blaise let his lips curve again, resisting a bit of a chuckle at himself that he wished to release to show his joy, shoving the note in his pocket before he too returned to copying what was written on the board in front of him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**  
Almost Kisses

Blaise was grabbed roughly by familiar hands when trying to leave Potions, Draco leading him away from the crowd that was their classmates and into a more secluded hallway by the grip he had around Blaise's robes. The dark haired teen followed behind the blonde, taking quick glances around in hope that no one would notice their swift departure from the group before he was pushed into a dark corner slightly behind a large stone vase. He found a finger with a gold ring wrapped around it at his chest, accusingly poking him.

"What the bloody hell are you think? Writing notes to Mud-blood in class? Do you want people asking about what's going on?" Draco's voice was whispered, and he was trying to keep it calm, but there was a hint of malice under the tone. Blaise let a smile fall over him after he relaxed a little, being nervous the moment before of Draco for a reason he hadn't been sure of.

"The classroom is neutral territory, you got your go at her, I thought I should be able to as well. And anyway, it's not like anyone is going to care. If someone asks either of us, we'll just deny it, right?" Blaise replied, trying to leave but having Draco's hand grab his shoulder and push him back, not as roughly this time.

"You're meeting her?" Draco asked, his tone changing again, this time slight surprise ringing, wrapped in a tone that was unfamiliar to Blaise's ears. Something like jealousy, but it couldn't be.

"No." Blaise lied, the word escaping his lips before he even thought about how he would answer that question, completely confused as to why he was hiding the truth from his friend. After all, this was just a stupid game, who cares if Draco knew he was meeting Hermione? All the more reason to shove it in his face later right?

Draco let a smile fall over his features, and some how Blaise realized why he had lied. He had lied to get that look from Draco, to see the boy's shoulders relax, and to see his gaze soften.

"Good." The blonde replied, taking a fast glance over his shoulder at the few stragglers that were just then exiting potions class. When they were out of sight he moved forward to Blaise, pining the other Slytherin between him and the wall with his arms, and bringing his lips teasingly close to the boy's. A kiss didn't come, but instead, a hot breath from Blaise's lips as Draco moved away from them. He brushed his cheek against the other boys to bring those lips to his ear for a whisper, his voice almost silent, but hardly mistaken as the husky, evocative tone of The Draco Malfoy, a tone Blaise had become very familiar with over the last year.

"After class, you make it up to me." The whisper said, referring to Blaise's suggested promise during class.

"And what if I don't come?" Blaise replied in an equally quiet voice, trying his best to play with Draco as much as he knew the boy was playing with him. He felt those lips tug into a smirk, them being so close to his skin.

"You wouldn't dare. You always come." Draco replied, then, as quick as Blaise had been pulled into the hallway, Draco had left him and started his way out of the dungeons, blonde head never looking back.

Blaise let himself lean on the wall he had been pinned between, finding his face overly flushed, his breathing hitched slightly more then it should be, and an unusual crawl to his skin were Draco had been touching him. Letting his hand slip through his dark hair, he let a laugh escape at himself. Whatever had come over him and Draco lately, well, he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it.

---------------

Hermione had no idea what she was thinking. This was Blaise that she was talking about after all. He was Draco Malfoy's best friend. They were always together, near inseparable, and even though some would see that as a major plus, to Hermione that wasn't a good thing. So he helped her in potions, big deal. That didn't make him a good person. That did not mean it gave her a reason to go gallivanting around with him down by the lake. Just because he was gorgeous and charming and made her melt at the mere thought of him did not mean she should have anything to do with him.

Who was she kidding, that was a prefect reason to have anything to do with him.

Still, something was fishy about the boy. The whole of the last two days did not make any sense to her. The two most handsome guys in school just suddenly fighting over her like a piece of meat. It was down right appalling and made her feel like a simple object being played with, but at the same time, a part of her was thoroughly pleased to be played with, realizing that she had been longing for the attention a little to long.

She felt slightly ashamed by admitting it, but she honestly couldn't help being completely swayed by Blaise's charm. It was a plausible reason. It was different from Draco's; Blaise was different from Draco. He was cute and smart, and so far he had treated her like a human being, not simply something to be looked at. He was just, different.

But, he couldn't be that different. He was Blaise Zabini. He was Draco's best friend.

Draco's best friend!

Hermione held back a huff as she walked along the grounds of the school, still trying to contemplate if she wanted to continue the route she was going, or if she wanted to turn around, being completely pulled between her logic and her heart. She could turn back now, she could go right back to the school and back to her dorm and forget that Blaise ever asked her to spend time with him. Or she could continue following the trail down to the lake.

Hermione found herself stopped in the middle of the trail, having a few people sending her strange looks as they past, no doubt wondering what invisible barrier was keeping her from walking. She sighed, looking down to the loosely wooded area around the lake, then turning to look back at the castle, once again returning her gaze to the trees, finding her forehead frowning. She didn't even know this Blaise! All she knew about him was the fact that he was a Slytherin and _Draco's best friend!_ So if she hardly knew anything then why on earth was she even considering going down that trail?

Then again, there was no harm in at least showing up, after all, she _had_ told him she would try. Hermione wouldn't want him to think that she didn't like him, she wouldn't want him to think that she hadn't wanted to come, because that would be a lie. Or at least, partly a lie, because it was about half of her that truly did want to continue down the road, wanted to very badly. But it was being held back by the part that was screaming to her that the whole situation was not right.

A sigh found her lips, turning the unsure frown into a determined one, then stuck her hands in the pockets of the sweater she had tossed on, before continuing forwards, her steps strong at first as if you push through an invisible wall that had been in her way. She had to at least go. She had to go to settle what the hell this was that was fluttering around in her stomach, because it surely couldn't be feelings. She hardly knew the boy. She couldn't like him. It didn't work that way.

-----------

Usually the lake was relaxing for Blaise. He would come to this little clearing in the lightly wooded area around the body of water to take time away to think or to spend some time writing. He rarely brought work, but when he did, it was always when he was writing a long essay, and any work done in this clearing by the water always ended up giving him the best marks. Every once in a while Draco would walk down here with the boy, but Draco wasn't the type who liked to spend his leisure time alone. He liked social areas, he liked to be with many people, or he liked to be doing something worthwhile when alone. For example, kissing, which could very well be labeled as one of Draco's only past times.

Blaise let a frown come over his features as he stared out onto the glassy surface of the Black Lake. He took a moment to tug on his lower lip gently, then trailing fingers down his neck and touching over the small red mark on his collarbone slightly under his shirt, a reminder of the night before, and he couldn't help but remember the urge that had found him.

Usually when they were in the midst of a game like they were their sessions became more frequent, perhaps it was a way to make up for how horrible they were being to each other in competition, but never had it been like this. That pressure, that burning that had been in his chest while Draco kissed him, it had been nothing like usual. It had been powerful. Draco had been exaggerating earlier that day. They hardly did enough things together to make him 'moan' as the blonde had so wonderfully put it, but yet that night before he had been suppressing his sounds of pleasure. In all honestly, if he would have let them out, that statement said earlier that day would have been very true.

What this meant, Blaise had no idea, perhaps he was just thinking to much into it, perhaps it had just been a while, which was true, or perhaps he was just really in need of some sort of attention at the time, considering he had been without a girlfriend for a few months. Whatever it was...

Blaise heard a twig snap behind him and he turned to look over his shoulder quickly, not being able to hide the smile that came to his features at the sight of Hermione. She stood there timidly, a fitted sweater over a tee-shirt along with a pair of jeans replacing her normal school uniform. She smiled in reply to his greeting look, letting her hand wave awkwardly as she stood there, taking a moment to brush her hair away from her eyes, only showing her smile even more.

He knew she would come. Why on earth wouldn't she? There wasn't a girl in this school who wouldn't at least show her face if invited down to the lake by him. Half of them would do it without question; the other half would do it just to prove that they weren't scared, which they were. Where Hermione fit, well, Blaise wasn't sure yet.

"I didn't know if you would come." Blaise said, lying through his teeth, but at the same time finding his chest swell slightly when seeing that smile on her face, only making the one on his features grow even more. Her awkward aura was charming, and, if he was to be so bold, he could say that he actually liked how shy she was around him. It was, alluring. For some reason he was finding himself overly glad to see her. Probably only because the game was going so well, he liked to know that she seemed so attracted to him, it only meant that he was winning.

Even though that was probably a given now.

"I said I would try." She replied, walking closer when Blaise beckoned her forward with a wave of his hand, patting the large rock he sat on to ask her to join him.

"I still wasn't sure. You don't exactly own me the pleasure of your company." He replied, keeping up his act, seeing a sheepish smile fall over her features as she sat, trying her best to hide it by fidgeting a bit, pretending to be trying to find a comfortable position.

"Why wouldn't you deserve my company?" She asked, bringing her brown eyes up to his blue ones finally, him seeing that slight bit of flush on her face and unsure if it was a blush or simply reminisce of a long, quick walk down there from the castle.

"You're smart, mature, beautiful. You shouldn't feel the need to bless a Slytherin like me with any of your time." Blaise replied, pausing slightly before 'beautiful' to show a bit of unsure in this word, trying his best to be timid with his response, so that it mirrored hers a little, all the while still trying to bluntly hint towards his intent.

"You being a Slytherin is hardly a bad thing." Hermione replied, leaning down to pick up a small flower, her delicate fingers starting to pick it apart in an idle fidget. Blaise held back a smirk, noticing this comment being a blatant contradiction to her words at their last encounter.

"And, maybe I want to bless you with some of my time." She added after taking in a deep breath, keeping her eyes on the flower while she said it. Blaise let an eyebrow raise, completely surprised by the bluntness of this comment, and couldn't help but let his lips curl slightly, opening them to perhaps speak, but finding himself unable to think of words. Since when did a girl leave him speechless? After all, he had had girls come up to him and flat out say that they wanted to shag him, so why had this comment been so affecting?

After he hadn't replied she turned her gaze back to him, and then let out a bit of a laugh, Blaise seeing her cheeks redden again, this time knowing for sure that it was a blush, and finding himself getting slightly flushed as well.

"I don't need a tutor." He said after a long silence, one that was surprisingly comfortable. He heard her laugh again, his heart jumping to his throat at her wonderful melodic chuckle.

"You _were_ fishing for something then." Hermione accused, letting her eyes return to the flower she held, her hair falling over her face slightly as she lowered her head the smallest bit.

Blaise gave a coy smile to confirm that accusation, then, after a moment, found himself daring to move closer to her. She watched him plainly as he inched closer, but doing nothing to stop it. Their hips touched, and he felt her muscles tighten slightly, and she didn't move to stop him. He lifted a hand and stroked her chestnut locks away from the side of her face, brushing it so that it hung over her opposite shoulder, revealing her slender neck to himself. She had closed her eyes as he grazed a hand over the fair, tender skin, and because he was now so close, he felt her shiver ever so slightly, even though it was hardly noticeable.

"What do you want from me?" Hermione asked after a moment, in which Blaise had taken his hand and placed it on her child to turn her head to face his, finding himself wanting to see the brown of her eyes, wanting to see that intriguing power that he had been drawn into before. He paused, finding a confusing in her eyes, and taking a moment to try and find an answer to that question.

"I don't want anything _from_ you Granger. I just want _you_." He replied, watching her eyes fall shut as he stroked his hand over her cheek. She let out a breath, a breath that was sweet on his lips, which were amazingly close to hers now.

"How do I know that this is real?" She asked in a whisper after a moment that Blaise had hovered close to her face, watching the forest that was her amazingly long lashes, counting the small, almost invisible freckled that lined under her eyes. He never knew she had freckles.

"You don't. All you can do is trust yourself." He replied, bringing his nose to brush against hers, flicking his eyes slightly when he had felt her hand on his shoulder, brought there to keep herself from falling over as she leaned into him. He brushed her hair from her face again, it being blow away from behind her ear because of a small breeze.

He could almost hear her heart racing, feeling it against his chest because they were so close. He let a hand fall from her neck and down her back, holding around her waist after the hand had roamed. Blaise found himself wanting to kiss her badly as they sat there, their lips merely hairs apart, but he couldn't. Draco would have his neck if he broke the rules, and deep down, he wanted to win fairly. But he wanted to so bad, he could feel something urging him to move forward, and he could tell that she wanted him to as well, only making this urge harder to fight off.

Suddenly he flinched, the sound of the castle's clock chime shocking him, echoing over the ground, signally three o'clock, and the end of classes. Blaise swore under his breath as he pulled away from her; suddenly realize who he was suppose to be with, and cursing his blonde haired friend.

Hermione had opened her eyes, finding Blaise's lips not there when she had finally taken it into her own hands to move in for a kiss. She had a frown on her features as she looked at him, searching for an explanation to his suddenly movement away.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I'm supposed to be somewhere." Blaise said, trying his best to show exactly how sorry he was. She forced a smile on her lips, even though her eyes showed her disappointment obviously.

"It's alright." She said, and he offered his own smile, a thank you for her understanding. He then got up, grabbed his bag and moved to leave, feeling heavy with guilt for leaving her, and feeling very annoyed that he hadn't gotten to kiss the girl.

Why had he wanted to so badly anyway? It was just Hermione.

-----------

Hermione's walk back to the castle was heavy with regret, confusion and disappointment. Regret for even going down to the lake in the first place, confusion for what had happened while there, and disappointment for what obviously didn't happen. Why she was so disappointed was beyond her, because in all honesty, she didn't want a relationship, whether it be with Blaise, Draco, or Ron. She was not ready. And a kiss? Well that would have just made things a hell of a lot more complicated.

But, it seemed that even without that kiss things were more complicated anyway. Perhaps it was just the fact that they were both thinking about it, they were both going to. Sometimes humans were very strange beings. All the chemical and emotional reactions going off in their heads without the person even knowing. It was completely inconvenient.

Hermione sighed as she walked. She could hardly ignore that fact that, even though she told herself she didn't want a relationship, it was obvious that her body was just not listening to her. She had wanted that kiss badly, she had when down there with her own two feet, and now that she thought about it, she had been expecting exactly what had happened.

Only, she was hoping she would still be there now, not ditched. He probably had to meet his girlfriend, or whatever play thing he was fooling around with for the moment. She was sure that a boy like him wouldn't be single even if he looked it. There had to be someone that he kept around. After all, he was a _boy_. And he was a Slytherin.

Hermione was pulled out of her deep thought when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She shook slightly, turning to see the vibrate hair of Ginny, her delicate hand on Hermione's shoulder and a wide, playful smile on her face. Harry was behind her; they were no doubt out together for a while, away from Ron and her.

"Hermione, do you have some pinecones in your ears or something? We must have called your name a dozen times." Ginny said, taking her hand off the girls shoulder and starting to walk with her, Harry following behind them ever so slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking." Hermione replied, sticking her hands in her pockets before hearing Ginny give a very exaggerated reaction to this comment. She brought her lips into a circle and made a sound that represented a child making fun of girl of her age who had a crush.

"Oooh. You wouldn't happen to be thinking about the two pests that you mentions yesterday would you?" The red head asked, and Hermione widened her eyes, realizing who Ginny had just said that in front of, and then coming to the very grave conclusion that she would soon be bombarded with questions from Harry.

3. 2. 1.

"Pests? Who? Is this about Draco? Because I'll go zap him if you want me to." Harry said suddenly, and Hermione had to resist from slapping her hand over her eyes in agitation.

"Sort of." Hermione said, trying her best to wean the boy into what she would eventually have to tell him, but she had forgotten about Ginny at that time, and soon realized how stupid it was to have forgotten the girl.

"Try completely. Blaise and Draco were all over her yesterday, and I mean serious flirtage." Ginny explained excitedly as she walked backwards to face the boy, Hermione's eyes growing wide in horror as she saw Harry's also extend.

"Ginny!" Hermione said, letting her mouth gap slightly, but having the reaction brushed off.

"You would have had to tell him eventually." Ginny replied, letting her hand wave slightly, taking no more notice to Hermione annoyance then you would to a feather landing on your shoulder.

"Hermione! Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked after a moment, and Hermione let her eyes roll.

"I didn't think it was important." She replied, having Harry caught for words for a moment before.

"Not important! This is like, end of the bloody world important! Draco is probably up to something, I mean, he would _not_ flirt with you unless he had a reason." Harry said, his words growing absentminded as he turned to thinking, no doubt trying to figure out the evil scheme the blonde Slytherin had planned. He had very little time to think though, because a dainty hand had come up to smack him flat across the head soon after his words, causing him to recoil slightly.

"And it can't just be that she's gorgeous and Draco Malfoy just so happened to have noticed finally huh? News flash, it wasn't just Draco either Harry! Blaise was flirting too, so that rules out your theory! Don't be such a guy!" Ginny said in a very stern voice, the conversation growing from light to very heavy for a moment as she stood over the boy she had a serious crush on and slapped him into shape. Immediately after she was finished speaking she turned around to walk with Hermione again.

"Anyway, forget him. What happened that's making you 'think' so deeply?" Ginny asked, waving her hand at Harry as she had before over Hermione annoyance. The busy haired girl gave sigh, knowing there was no point in fighting the fiery haired teen, then let her shoulder drop slightly.

"Fine, but neither of you let this get to Ron or _anyone_ else! Swear!" Hermione demanded, and both Ginny and Harry, who had caught up with the two girls and was currently tending to his head, nodded quickly in agreement.

"Well, to make a long story short, Blaise asked me in Potions to come see him. I did, we talked, and..." Hermione paused, no knowing how to put it, but was cut off when Ginny gave a gasp, slapping her small hand over her pink lips.

"You snogged!" She near shrieked, drawing the attention of some nearby students who were strolling the grounds like them. Hermione gave her a dark look after shushing her.

"No!" she corrected, seeing the look of horror fade from Harry's face as well as the utter glee from Ginny's.

"We almost did." Hermione added, and Ginny's face lit up again.

"I feel so stupid though. I real feel like he was just playing with me." The chestnut haired teen let her head drop ever so slightly in a bit of shame, seriously questioning the encounter now that she had been thinking about it for so long. He probably had no intention to kiss her at all. He was probably just teasing.

"Well you know what you need to do?" Ginny said after a moment, catching Hermione's attention. Ginny rolled her eye's, obviously annoyed that she had to explain to her friend what the red head seemed to think all girls should know.

"You need to find him tomorrow and show him what he missed." Ginny explained, that mischievous smirk falling over her features as it always did when she was talking about doing something bold and Slytherinish, letting her eyebrow raise suggestively as she watched a embarrassed grin fall over Hermione.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**  
Twist...or Twisted?

Blaise walked slower then he probably should have been walking as he went to meet Draco, but he really didn't even notice, because his mind was so filled with things to suddenly think about. It was like mere hours ago he had not a care in the world, and suddenly now he was in the midst of so much teenage drama that he was almost literally drowning in it.

He had just left Hermione after almost kissing her, which was his first barrier in the game that he was playing with Draco, and if he would have stayed, just a little longer, he would have been winning. Why he had left was beyond him, considering he had left just to meet Draco. Couldn't Draco have waited? It was just Draco after all. They were just fucking around.

Which brought him to the next thing on his mind. Draco. Why had he left so quickly just to be with Draco, set aside the fact that the blonde would be overly anger with the boy if he didn't show up. Blaise had dealt with Draco being angry with him before, so why on earth had he been so quick to run away from his goal of getting Hermione to fall in love with him just to be with the blonde?

"Where the hell were you? I was standing around here like a bloody girl who was stood up for a date or something." Draco bickered when Blaise kicked the door of the familiar closet and entered, the blonde's arms crossed to show his unimpressed mood. Blaise sighed slightly, feeling nervous under Draco's gaze, the revolt in his silver eyes being intensified by the dim lightening in the small room.

"Sorry, I got caught up." Blaise explained, his voice slightly absentminded as leaning on the wall opposite the boy, which wasn't very far away consider the closet was no more then a yard or two wide.

"Yeah, well when you threaten that you weren't going to come, I didn't know you were being serious." Draco added, turning away from the boy to set his eye somewhere on a distant wall, his jaw tight in annoyance. Blaise couldn't help but smirk the slightly bit, shaking his head a little at the immaturity of his friend.

"I'm here aren't I?" He asked, letting his hands outstretch in front of him, as if to present his form to Draco, incase he hadn't seen it yet therefore not realized the boy had indeed arrived.

There was a silence that was almost suicidal for Blaise, the blue-eyed teen unsure what to do or say to the blonde. Draco let out a sigh finally, pushing off from the wall that he was leaning on and coming a little closer.

"I'm going to ask once, and I want you to be serious with me." Draco said after he had moved, bringing his silver gaze up to the boy through the low light. Blaise willed himself to not swallow hard like he felt like he needed to, finding a nervousness fall over him, unsure why he was so scared of Draco perhaps asking about Hermione.

"Of course." Blaise replied, glad that his voice had been level, then nodded his head the slightest bit as he put his hands in his pockets idly, to cover up the fact that they were fidgeting nervously.

Draco came closer again, Blaise not being able to hold his gaze anymore and found himself lowering his eyes, only to have the slender fingers of his friend grabbing around his chin to bring his face back up.

"Do you fancy someone? Is that where you were?" Draco asked finally, seriousness shining in his eyes, and Blaise couldn't help but laugh in reply, relief hidden in that chuckle.

"No. What gave you that idea?" Blaise asked though his grin, a bit of a silent teasing towards his blonde friend, who had let his face relax slightly. A shrug came to his shoulders, leaving it at that. Blaise let his laugh stay on his face in a teasing grin, taking note to the subtle brush off of that his friend had used.

"Hmm, I would have thought yesterday made it pretty clear that I was still single." Blaise commented, once again letting himself relax as he watched the blonde advance in a careful and discreet manner.

"Maybe. I was a little nervous that maybe you were just sneaking off to be with me though. That'd be very _gay_ of you. I don't want you falling for me like all the _girls_ in this school." Draco replied, his lips curling slightly at his own words when Blaise had let another laugh escape. While he spoke Draco had moved the last bit forward to bridge the gap between them, but it was Blaise who brought his head off from the wall to press his lips with Draco's. The blonde was a little taken aback for a moment, but let his lips curl again after Blaise had broke away to return his head to the wall, following the boy and starting another.

"You're hardly one to talk about sneaking off are you Draco. I doubt Tracey would approve of this." Blaise replied after their lips had parted again, only making Draco smirk more.

"Tracey... is for show, and everyone knows it but her." Draco said, watching Blaise as he moved, for the dark haired boy could not resist anymore. Getting his footing, he forced Draco back to the opposite wall so that it was the blonde pinned now, helpless as Blaise forced a kiss on him. Of course helpless was not the right word, because even though it was the blonde who was stuck between the wall and Blaise, he was still the one in control, because the dark haired boy would only go as far as giving Draco what he knew he wanted.

"She's still your girlfriend. Surely she can do this, you don't even feel guilty?" Blaise asked into Draco's lips, trying his best at a teasing tone, but it came out breathed, showing how hard he was trying to keep up the conversation while resisting attacking. Draco brought the other teens lips to his again with a hand in his hair, and Blaise dismissed the conversation flatly to himself in his mind, convinced that this kiss had been all the permission he needed to go further, and quickly heightened the intensity by pushing a little into the blonde's mouth while using his hands to push the heavy robe off the other boy's shoulders. He watched it fall to the floor as he moved his lips to the side of Draco's neck, feeling the blonde's hands go for the robe that was still on him, copying the movement, so that there were then two black mounts on the floor.

"I know what I want." Draco said in reply, and Blaise listened for him to continue like his words implied, but they didn't because the dark haired boy had distracted him with a small bite on his neck, in which was replied to with a satisfying hiss from between Draco's teeth.

"And Tracey isn't providing it. So I should feel guilty for going out and getting it myself? " He paused again, as if to sound like he was looking for a reply, but Blaise knew that he wasn't. Draco guided Blaise's hands to his waist, and the boy complied after realizing what he wanted, and kissed his company again before pulling the cotton of his shirt to untuck it from his black trousers, making it possible for Blaise to snake his hands along the blonde's backbone. His head was clouded slightly from the heat, like he was groping through fog, so it took a moment for those words to settle in, but once they did it was his turn to pause. Blaise pulled away slightly, giving Draco a questioning look.

Had he heard that wrong, or had that sounded as if what Draco 'wanted' was him?

As if on command, after that thought the blonde let out a bit of a laugh, almost as if he had heard it and the idea had been completely absurd.

"At least I'm not going out and finding another girl, therefore saving someone else from being hurt if it ever happens that the secret is let out, I think that's responsibility enough. Let alone the fact that know I can trust you not to be a snitch, and in turn I end up helping out a friend as well."

All at once the boy finally realized what this was. It was just one of Draco's meticulous deceptions. Draco didn't care about the details really, in this case, who he was making out with, all he cared about was that the situation worked as perfectly as possible, and boy did their situation work. It was just, convenience. Both boys knew that it would stay in the dark, unlike if they found other girls to fool around with. With girls, you were taking a chance, because a lot of them would have a great time going around telling absolutely everyone that they had a fling with one of the two fittest boys in school, not caring who got hurt in the process. With their situation, well, it was insured that neither of the boys was planning on being a snitch any time soon. On top of that, it was the last thing that anyone would suspect. Draco and Blaise? Posh, they've had more then a handful of girlfriends, the woman swooned for them, why would they be sneaking around?

And what the feeling from the night before had been, the urge, the pressure in Blaise's chest. It was simply a seek for pleasure from both the boys. They supplied one another with what they wanted, and because they were both boys they knew exactly what the other sought, because it was precisely what the boy wanted himself. Their relationship was lust driven, both wanting what they couldn't find in others, so were simply turning to each other to get it. And it had only been so intense the night before because it had been what Blaise had been looking for.

It was sickly brilliant, just like everything Draco had a part in was. He rarely liked to do anything if there was any chance of fault. This deception, it was the prefect example of 'I'll scratch your back of you'll scratch mine.'

Blaise smirked slightly, using this thought and turning to digging his nails slightly into the skin he was touching, trailing down the grove in the blonde's back, causing the boy's back to arch slightly, a groan coming from him, making an accomplished smile crawl onto Blaise's lips as he forgot about the sudden panic of before.

"Are you saying _I_ know what you want?" Blaise asked, trying to confirm his realization as he moved his hands over the thin waist of the boy in front of him. He heard another bit of a growl from the boy before it turned into a laugh that rolled in Draco's neck.

"How can you not, it's exactly what you want. Satisfaction." Draco replied, Blaise smiling slightly before his company again stole his lips.

--------------

Hermione was not scared of what she had to do. You see, that night after her talk with Blaise by the lake, instead of going over how she was going to have to kiss him, and how she really wanted to so badly, which would make it extra awkward and extremely hard for her to do, she changed what she had to do. Instead, she told herself that she was getting him back. She was showing him what he was playing with, who he was playing with, and that the playing would not be tolerated. She made it about control, something that she had lost all sight of because of him.

Hermione was hardly a shy person, which was probably why Blaise annoyed her so much. Somehow he managed to make her completely nervous about everything, and she hated it about him, because it was hardly fair that she would avoid going to the great hall just because she thought that maybe she would see him there. So by looking at it as a fight for control Hermione wasn't scared to death the next day.

Of course, she would lying if she said she wasn't happy when he didn't show his face anywhere she was that morning. Even though she had convinced herself that it was for her own benefit, she was still overly scared to do it, so scared in fact that Ginny had picked up on it, and had insisted to walk the girl to all her classes in case Hermione ran into Blaise and threatened to back out. Honestly, if Ginny hadn't been there when Hermione finally did see the boy for the first time that day, she was sure the little voice in her head that was telling her there was no reason to do what she had planned would have made her turn right around and run away.

Hermione actually almost tried to when he had come into sight, a little way down the fifth floor hallway while Ginny was walking Hermione to Charms. She had set her eyes on his form, froze in her stop, and then turned quickly to try and run in the other direction, but Ginny had grabbed her around the upper arm and held her back.

"You have to do this! If you don't do this I will hex you bad tonight, because I can't stand you complaining anymore about how boys hardly notice you, right when one of the fittest boys in school is seriously interested. Remember the Bat Boogies?" Ginny threatened, pulling her wands and pointing it at the girl warningly. Hermione sighed slightly as she glanced back down the hall, then let her eyes light up slightly as she saw the blonde that was with Blaise.

"He's with Draco, I can't. I can't do it in front of Draco." Hermione said, thoroughly glad that she had found a logical reason not to kiss the boy, but when her words were finished and she turned to Ginny, seeing a very stern face from the red head, she could tell that the younger teen was not going to fall for her excuse.

"So Draco's there. Then you'll be killing two birds with one stone. Now go." She said, pointing her wand that she still held down the hall towards the two boys. Hermione let her forehead frown slightly, resisting stomping her foot on the ground like a child before setting off at a slow pace towards the Slytherins.

As she walked the girl took in a deep breath, letting herself calm slightly before finding a confidence that willed her to walk a little faster. This wouldn't be so bad. She hoped.

"Blaise!" Hermione called after her steps increased in speed and she ended up bridging the gap between herself and the two boys slightly. At the name both of the Slytherin's looked over their shoulders, Blaise letting his lips curl the smallest bit through his look of confusion while Draco simply looked disgusted.

"What do you want Granger?" Draco asked as she came into speaking distance.

"Did I say Draco? No, because I wasn't talking to you." Hermione replied maliciously to the blonde, who let his eyes narrow in hate. She cocked an eyebrow slightly, pleased that he didn't have a reply to this before turning her brown vision up to Blaise.

"Granger?" Blaise said, questioning while at the same time being timid, as if nervous to show too much interest in what she was there for with Malfoy about.

"You forgot something yesterday." She replied, letting the smallest of smiles come over her face, only seeing it mirror on his, making her heart skip a beat. Wow he was gorgeous when he smiled. Hermione felt her knees almost buckle as a red heat crawled up her collar, but she held desperately onto her confidence.

"I did?" Blaise asked, almost no time for him to get this out before Draco let his mouth gap slightly and spoke.

"Yesterday?" he said, his tone slightly shocked as he locked eyes with Blaise, as if baffled about something, but Hermione could really care less what this look was about. Draco was nothing but a minor inconvenience at the moment. She had something to do.

"Yeah." She said, letting her head nod before she took a couple steps forward to make that final bit of space between her and Blaise disappear. She reached a spot right in front of him, her closeness causing his gaze to leave the locking look he had with Draco, and moved up to stand on her toes to reach him, placing a hand quickly on the back of his neck and putting her lips on his.

He was shocked at first, she could tell because he was stiff and tall, but after a few seconds he kissed her back, and she was able to put her feet flat on the ground because he had moved into her slightly. The hand that she had on the back of his neck was soon joined by her other one as she held around him, touching the black silky that was his beautiful hair.

Suddenly this was not about showing him what he had denied her the day before, but simply about doing what seemed right, what both of them wanted, not even caring the fact that Draco was standing there staring with so much shock and hate that it was almost indescribable.

Blaise had flicked his tongue over her lip gently in pleading, his hands laying lightly on the small of her back, and she had replied by parting her lips, but the kiss was interrupted when Draco had grabbed Blaise's arm roughly and pulled him away. The blonde started down the hall, away from Hermione, with a large piece of Blaise's robe in his fist, pulling the dark haired boy with him as he walked. Blaise struggled to look behind him at the girl, overly surprised that he couldn't get the large grin off of his lips, and needing to see if she had the same grin on her features. He couldn't help but let it grow when he finally managed to lock eyes with the girl, who was simply standing in place, not even attempting to follow, but who also had a large smile on her lips.

Never had he had a girl simply walk up to him and kiss him like that.

He had liked it.

"I hope you enjoyed that." Draco said as they walked, his fingers finally releasing Blaise's clothing now that he knew they were far enough away that the boy wouldn't run back. With the release, he had given the boy a bit of a shove, which caused Blaise to have to catch his balance quickly, because in his absentminded state he ended up stumbling at that push. There was malice in Draco's tone, no doubt for annoyance that he had just been show how badly he was losing their game. Blaise couldn't help but smirk a little as he was pulled away from the thought of Hermione's lips on his.

"I never thought I would hear Draco getting jealous of someone getting a kiss from dirty-Granger." Blaise teased, but Draco looked anything but impressed.

"It has nothing to do with that." Draco said, his tone rolling with his eyes. Blaise let out a sigh, utterly confused as to what his friend was getting at, and receiving a glare from the boy when he hadn't figured it out yet.

"Yesterday, you lied to me. You told me you weren't seeing her." Draco explained, and Blaise let his mouth open as if say something in return, but held it back as he rolled his eyes again, thinking over his reply.

"Over react much? I thought we agreed that you could talk as much or as _little_ as you wanted about your strategy." Blaise said, trying again to tease Draco, but obviously failing horrible. He hadn't meant to upset the boy, it wasn't his fault that Granger had just suddenly jumped him in the hall.

"We never agreed on lying." Draco retorted.

"Way to be a girl about it Draco, Merlin." Blaise was forced to stop when Draco had, regretting his words when a look of offence feel over the blonde's striking features.

"Shove off." The blonde said afterwards, as if too shocked by that statement to say anything else, then moved forward and shoved the dark haired boy like his words had implied, continuing down the hall. Blaise allowed himself to be pushed, watching his friend as he walked forcefully away, and letting his eyes roll again before trailing after him.

"Draco. Common, don't be such a git." Blaise called after him, causing the blonde to stop again.

"I'm not being a git! I'm," Draco's complaints were paused when he saw his friend give a very exaggerated sigh, a smirk falling over the dark haired boy's face as he moved forward to grab Draco's arm. When he did so, he pulled the boy forcefully to the side, off into the secret passage that lay hidden behind an old drapery.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked, his thoughts from before being forgotten quickly. He did not get a reply from Blaise. Or, at least not a verbal reply. What he got were lips quickly on his after they had been engulfed in the darkness of the passage. Draco did no deny the boy, he would never, but when the kiss ended he asked again.

"What are you doing?" This time his words less forceful, escaping his lips on a breath to hit Blaise's. Again, another kiss came before a reply.

"I'm apologizing." He heard from his dark haired company after their lips had parted again. Blaise didn't see the smirk that had come over Draco before he forced yet another kiss.

--------------------

It was rare that Hermione was distracted in class, so you knew something was on her mind if she was not taking notes. You knew there was something circling around her highly inapt brain when she was not listening intently to whatever the professor had to say. Of course, a kiss with Blaise Zabini could defiantly do that to a girl, and it didn't help that she shared history of Magic with the boy, which was already a class that was near impossible to pay attention in anyway.

The girl felt like she was back in grade school, blushing and near giggles every time that Blaise would look in her direction, only making him get an overly large smirk on his face. She was acting like the exact girls that she really despised, the ones that fawned and gabbed and swooned at anything to do with Draco, only she was doing it over his best friend. She rarely became infatuated with boys, she hadn't been so since Krum, but she could seriously admit that it had gone that far (of course would never say such a thing out loud).

Hermione scowled herself in her head, trying her best to turn her attention back to Binns, who was droning on about the usual history, hoping that perhaps the interesting subject would maybe distract her mind, unfortunately the topic was giving a bit too much credit, and she listened to two sentences before her mind rejected the information and turned back to the thought of before hand.

Blaise had cleared his throat purposefully in his seat a few rows ahead of the girl, annoyed at the fact that Hermione had stopped exchanging glances with him, but let another grin fall over his features when she brought her eyes back to him after a pathetic attempt at listening to the teacher like the class pet she wanted to be. Another blush came over her features and he couldn't help but let his grin grow more, trying his best to tone it down shortly after, nervous of drawing too much attention from Draco or anyone else in the classroom.

Of course, Draco had noticed their playful exchange of glances long ago, and even though Blaise knew this, he liked to at least think that perhaps he was keeping it discreet. Draco was sitting at his side, rolling his eyes ever now and then, resisting letting out annoyed sighs along with the motions. The blonde wasn't sure what to think of the sudden childish relationship; all he knew was that he didn't like it. He had barely had a chance at this game and Blaise was already half way to the finish line. Of course, if you knew Draco you knew he didn't go down without a fight.

The bell for class change chimed and Draco left Blaise immediately, muttering something about meeting Tracey, and starting out the door. Blaise could hardly care less, because he was heading after Hermione, who was purposely walking slower then others. He followed behind her as the class flooded out, catching the wonderful scent that had tickle his senses earlier that day, orchids and coconut. He knew she felt his presents, and when they both reached the hall he didn't pause before grabbing her hand and pulling her off in the opposite direction then most of the class was going. He heard her laugh quietly behind him as they departed at a quick pace. Once Blaise knew they were far enough away from the crowd he stopped, the abruptness of his halt causing her to run into his arms, another girlish laugh coming from her as a blush found her cheeks.

"I want to see you again." He whispered, wrapping arms around her thin waste to rest his hands on the small of her back. He tried to kiss her, but she didn't allow it, only to tease him.

"After class, but only if you can find me." She replied, in the same whisper, teasing her lips over his constantly by inviting his then pulling her face away. When she was finished speaking she turned to leave, managing his arms away from around her, but he held onto her hand, pulling her back to peck a kiss on her lips before she found freedom and started down the hall away from him. He didn't follow, but instead leaned on the wall to watch her as she walked, finding a smirk catching his features every times she would glance over her shoulder. Finally, she turned to follow a different hallway, giving a little wave before she disappeared from Blaise's sight.

Even though she was gone he still had a smirk on his features, one that resembled that fluttery feeling in his chest and strange knot in his throat. He found his cheeks sore from his smiling, it was weird, but in a good way.

What confused him the most was the fact that he was getting so giddy over a stupid game.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **  
_Swaying Judgment_

Draco wasn't sure what to make of his friend recently. It was not like the boy to steal glances and flirt openly when they were in the midst of a game. Usually Blaise was just as discreet as Draco about their playing, but it seemed this time was different. Perhaps it was just a different strategy, Draco could understand considering it was Hermione they were fighting to keep the attention of. But it seemed that maybe it was also more then that.

Whatever it was, Draco didn't like it. The way his friend was acting towards that Mud-blood made him sick to his stomach, and made him want to literally rip the girly smile off of Hermione's face just so she couldn't send it in Blaise's direction anymore. They were acting like a couple of puppies, feeding off each other naivety, only Blaise was not that naive. He was playing a role, that perhaps he got a little to deep into.

And Draco, being the _charming gentleman_ he was, would save the boy from certainly losing himself in the character. After all, Draco knew he had to stop it. It just, wasn't right. But he couldn't simply end the game. Blaise would never let him hear the end of it if he merely backed out. No, Draco had to win as soon as possible, end the game in the only way he could.

Leading him here, looking out for Hermione so he could catch her before she went to her next class. It was Charms on the fourth floor. He knew this because the Gryffindors had it with the Ravenclaws, and he would escort numerous ones of his girlfriends to the class when he was going out with the odd Ravenclaw girl. Of course, Hermione would not be making it to this class like the rest of the students that were passing him. Draco had to convince her otherwise.

Hermione had seen him waiting long before he had seen her. Smooth and dark, sitting languidly on the sill of one of the schools many stained glass windows. He was ghostly gorgeous, an unattainable beauty, not like Blaise. Blaise was gorgeous but in a real, touchable way. She let her mind wander to the dark haired boy, his strong jaw, straight nose, prefect lips, and eyes so blue they should be illegal. He was real though, there wasn't anything so amazingly gorgeous about him that made him impossible to obtain. Not like Draco. Draco was like a painting, real to look at, to gape at, amazingly detailed, meticulously thought out and drawn just right, but when attempted to be felt you were greeted by the shell that was his canvas, the paint covering it being his angelic allusion.

She hadn't realized that she had been staring, but once she did the girl turned her eyes away quickly, only in hope that his artistically master gaze hadn't spotted her stare. But she felt him looking at her, his eyes burning her skin and causing a flush to fall over her features as a result. She hadn't been alone with him since the day before, before Blaise, and before the harsh words in potions class, and even though now his gaze was much like it had been the last time she had been alone with him, it was now also tainted with something else, a malice that made her uneasy as she walked.

"Granger." Her name caught her attention, and she cursed to herself. She had had the smallest hope that maybe she would be able to get by without him speaking to her.

"I need to get to class Draco." She said, surprised she had used his first name, as well as startled that she had stopped to let him catch up with her in the now empty hall. She was already running late, it was no doubt that classes had already picked up. She scowled herself, forcing movement away from him, but he was already following.

"Since when are you and Blaise snogging?" Draco asked bluntly, causing the girl to laugh slightly.

"We are not snogging." She retorted, as if that was the most absurd thing she had heard, but she got a cruel laugh from him in reply.

"Really? So you must call that bit of suck face earlier today just a friendly hello? I'd like to see what you do with Golden-boy and Weasel-bee then." he said, causing a blush of embarrassment and frustration to cross her face. She choose to ignore his hurtful names and intended assumption about her two friends, and stayed on topic, as hard as it was.

"Today was the first time." She admitted, her words now less then the confidence tone of before. She had stopped to face him though, to show that she still held her ground against his rude comments.

"It's still snogging, first time or not Hermione." Draco said, a laugh on his tone. The girl rolled her eyes in her fluster, cheeks red from humiliation and annoyance as she then continued walking, trying to escape him. She knew he was still following her, and that annoyed her even more.

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" Draco asked suddenly from behind her, breaking the silence that they had been in as the girl was trying to quickly walk away from the boy. She stopped immediately after this question, turning around to stare at him in pure bewilderment.

"What?" she asked, completely confused, and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

"Of course not, you're just trying to get rid of me. Do you really think that snogging my best friend is going to get me to lay off?" he asked, and again Hermione was speechless. Her mouth opened and then closed, trying to find words, but all that escaped her were sounds of complete shock. What on earth was he getting at, like she ever liked him in the first place, like she was playing a game with him?

He was the one playing games!

Her confusion had yet to settle in, so as she stood there, searching for a way to react to what he was saying, she simply watched him move forward to her. Unable to do anything else, she recoiled herself slightly by bring her shoulders up and moving her chin down to cover her neck as he had moved to touch it. She caught a frown on his sharp, beautiful features, then his lips spoke again.

"What are you doing to me?" This was like a slap in the face to the girl, and she let her mouth drop open before shoving his chest to get him a little away from her and turning to storm off again. Of course, she didn't get far before she flailed around to face him once more, her face now red with rage, and then the rage all fell out of her mouth.

"What am _I_ doing? What the hell are _you_ doing Draco Malfoy? You're suddenly following me around like a love-struck puppy, telling me that you fancy me, playing games with me. And then you have the nerve to blame it on me? I kissed Blaise because he was real to me, _he_ fancies me, not you. You just don't want your best friend snogging with a dirty Mud-blood!" her yells echoed in the empty hall, biting at Draco's skin and stinging his ears with their poisonous tone. She looked livid, staring at him with dagger sharp eyes, her small chest moving up and down with her hard heavy breathes, before she let out a huff and turned away from him again, stomping forcefully away from him.

"Hermione, wait." Draco called after her, setting off at a bit of sprint to catch of with her, grabbing her wrist to stop her. She turned around quickly again, yanking her wrist from his grasp.

"Don't touch me." She spat, but was surprised to see when Draco recoiled his hands and put them up in surrender, showing that he had meant no harm by the grab. There was a silence as she looked at him, almost pathetic with that nervous look on his face, no doubt fearing that perhaps she would hex his pointed nose off his face if he made a move to touch her again.

"Please. Give me another chance Hermione. Let me prove to you that my feels are untainted. I'm not trying to play games, I just-, it's all I know." Draco's words seemed honest, but yet, Hermione's mind was screaming at her to turn around and continue to class. She sighed, torn for a moment, but then she thought over his words again, and realized something.

He had said please.

"I-, I can't-, I have to go to class." She said, her voice no longer loud and livid, but shy as she turned back away from him and tried to escape once again, only having him follow and cut in front of her.

"Skip with me. I know you can afford one class. You're probably not even going to be doing a lot in Charms anyway, maybe even just copying notes, and I know you've probably already read ahead a chapter in your spell book. If anyone is able to make up for a missed class, it's you." Draco said, trying his best at shameless flattery, something he was very used to doing to get what he wanted, after all, all girls like flattery. He saw her decision being swayed with his words, a hopeful expression falling over his face as her eyes softened, her mouth taking in a deep breath as she prepared to disobey herself.

"Will you leave me alone after this?" she asked, and Draco replied automatically.

"I'll do whatever you want me to." He said, and she lowered her gaze, then sighed.

"If we get caught I'm telling them that you kidnapped me." She said, making a grin spread on the boys face as she turned around, starting to walk, no doubt expected him to walk with her. He obliged, taking a few steps by her side before trying to snake his arm around her waist. He caught a grin on her face, one that she was trying to hold back as she shoved him away, shaking her head slightly, despite the laugh that was hiding in her brown eyes. He accepted this denial, knowing it wasn't really rejection, after all, he was still walking with her.

"Where are we going to go?" She asked finally, finding their walking growing the slightest bit awkward, as the halls were silent and dead, a strange aura falling over the two. It was almost as if the earth had stopped turning, the dread of the world's end loaming over the school, filling everyones gut, because Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy were walking silently down the hall with each other. It should be put in the record books. It was probably the longest the two of them had went without bickering.

Draco sent a small smirk her way, and she couldn't help but shy away ever so slightly, bringing her brown eyes down to the floor for a moment, not being able to stand his silver stare, or the different tone of the curl on his lips. She was unfamiliar with this smirk, it was not his usually taunting grin, one that showed his evil, twisted plans in his stormy eyes, revealed in the very corners of his lips. This one was, charming, and it must be the one that the Slytherin girls saw often.

"I don't know, wherever you want." He replied. The boy then moved closer to her, grabbing the strap of the heavy bag she carried to reveal her of the burden. It wouldn't be so heavy if it wasn't filled with books from the library that she had taken a few days before, the ones that he had spilt on the floor during their unpleasant run in.

"Merlin, do you have a dragon in here?" he asked in a sarcastic tone, a blush finding Hermione's face as she turned to try and snatch her bag back, but he pulled it away so that she couldn't reach it.

"No, it's just, my books. And I don't care what you have to say, I like reading, it broadens the mind." She replied timidly, but her words getting sharp as she finished. Her reading was a tender subject between the two of them, considering Draco had went out of his way over the years to poke fun at how often you could find her in a book. She tried again at retrieving her bag, but he moved once more, another curl coming to his lips as she gave up when she realized he was not letting her have her bag back.

"I hardly think you're mind needs 'broadening' Hermione." Draco teased, and she frowned at him, giving him a bit of a shove as he chuckled quietly (if it had been any louder it would have been bordering intoxicating), although she could tell this was not his crude teasing. This was playful, delicate, flirtatious, and she couldn't help but smile the slightest bit as well as she realized this.

"It's not a bad thing. To be honest, I like people who read. Blaise is big on the reading thing. I'm not much of one, I don't have the attention span." Draco stated, and Hermione laughed to herself.

"Obviously." She replied, getting a look from Draco that showed his offence, but he tried his best to rub it off as he continued what he was saying.

"I have to argue about these Muggle writers though. I hardly think that anything they have to write about is better then what a wizard has to write about." He finished, opening her bag and pulling out one of the book as he did so. He opened it, as if to start reading from the middle of the story, and Hermione couldn't help but let out a bit of a giggle, snagging the hardcover from his slender fingers, as if to save it from his bias opinion on it.

"Have you even read anything by a Muggle author?" she asked, and got a shrug in reply.

"I didn't think so. The thing about Muggle authors is that fiction is a major part of their technique. With wizards it's about facts, how do you do this, how do you get here, how do you protect yourself against this, what happened two thousand years ago, and what does that mean for us now. Muggles like to write about things that they don't often experience, things of wonder and amazement, magically things."

"Magical. And why would I want to read about 'magical things'? That is _fact_ for me _Hermione_." He said with a bit of a tease, and the girl rolled her eyes.

"You would want to if you were a Muggle, _Draco_. Things are so boring without magic, it's no wonder that even though they think we aren't real they think us up anyway. Along with that, Muggle authors always have something meaningful to say. Their stories hold a lesson, they can teach you to be a better person, treat people better, and be more humble. - (Hermione paused for a moment,) Actually, now that I think of it, it makes sense that you haven't read anything by a Muggle Author." She explained, holding the book to her chest as he walked slightly in front of her, both of them strolling idly now as they talked. It was long since past that Hermione's class had started, and yet, she didn't care.

"That was uncalled for Granger." Draco said, making a grin break out on the girls face at her poke at him. She let out a bit of a laugh, followed by a sigh as the conversation fell silent again.

"I like it better when you call me Hermione." She commented after a moment, noticing that she had caused the boy to stop in his tracks. She stopped also, to see if his pause had been out of offence, but when she looked at his eyes they were shining slightly, the corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly.

"Ok."

Their hour together was as long as they had gone actually getting along. In fact, Hermione had to say that it was probably the first time she had actually had a lengthy conversation with the boy that did not include her wanting to hex him into a ferret like in fourth year. There was something about him now. He was being polite, charming, and if Hermione dare say so, appealing. They spent their hour talking about books, and even though it wasn't something of common knowledge to Draco, Hermione took much interest in telling him about the stories that she particularly enjoyed, and he showed just as much interest in learning about the books.

She found herself letting her guard down, and that was probably her biggest mistake, because you see, when it comes to Draco Malfoy you always have to keep your guard up. He has the patience that most boys rarely have, he is willing to wait forever for that smallest crack in someone's defenses, and he has a way of slowly but surely wearing it down. Perhaps Hermione should have realized how he was wooing her, but she didn't, because maybe she didn't want to.

The bell chimed to tell the hour, cutting off their conversation, in which was taking place in a deserted corridor. Most of the current classes were on the upper floors, or the grounds, giving them privacy from spying eyes that might start questioning why the two were together.

"I should go now." Hermione said after a moment, offering a small smile as Draco nodded slightly. She turn to pack up her books, Draco helping her, and she couldn't help but smile again at his etiquette.

"Draco, I -." She paused with her hand on the book he passed her, unsure at what she was getting at from these words, and finding herself breathless as his silver eyes moved up to her when she uttered his name. His name was still rather foreign on her lips, but then again, it was simple to call this boy Draco. Malfoy was the one that shot Muggle-born comments to her in the hall and cause her to want to zap the smirk right off his face. This was a different boy all together.

"Thank you, for being so civil." She finished, and before she knew it she was leaning into him, her lips finding the silk of his cheek in a sweet kiss of gratitude. When she pulled away Hermione saw that she had left the Slytherin speechless, his prefect thin lips opened the slightest bit in shock at her motion, and his expression made her cheeks turn a vibrate red.

Why on earth had she done that? Was she completely insane? This was only Draco Malfoy after all. Now he was probably going to go out and tell everyone that he needed a rabies shot or something ridiculous like that because a Mud-blood had kiss him. Why did she have to be so stupid? The Gryffindor tried her best at a laugh to make the situation lighter before pulling the book from his fingers and trying her best to put it in her bag, but she was fumbling awkwardly because she was trembling so badly.

Finally as she got her book in her bag she gave a nervous smile before turning quickly to try to escape, but his hand had come to her arm, a strong but gentle grasp on her elbow that caused her to stop and look back at him in confusion. He pulled her back to him softly, the tug being more of a lead as her feet replied by moving closer, even though her mind was screaming at her to just go, run.

But his silver gaze had her locked, rooted to the spot, so frozen that she could do nothing but watch that gaze as his tender touch moved to her neck, couldn't even refuse as he lead her mouth to his and pressed his lips on her in the gentlest manner. She didn't kiss back, being too shocked that she wasn't running, or that she wasn't doing anything to flee at that matter, and the stillness of her shock caused him to part from her after his butterfly kiss, linger close as he spoke.

"I'm sorry for what I've done to you. Can you ever forgive me?" His voice was honest, a whisper hot on her lips as he left a moment before kissing her again. During his words her hand had come up to pull on his wrist, but as his lips found her again the hand fell limp in it's attempts to pull him away from her. She kissed back this time, a surprise to herself, and she couldn't help but notice his hand tighten the slights bit on her neck as she finally reacted.

She had never been this close to him. His hand had found around her waist and had pulled her so that the entry length of their bodies where touching. Hermione's bag fell from her shoulder, the sound of it hitting the floor sounding distance, like through a long tunnel, and she then lifted her arms to come around his neck, to possibly bring herself closer as they kissed, his lips warm and moist on her as his hands delicate and passionate as they held her. He asked permission and she replied almost instantly, parting her lips and tasting him, bitter sweet, spicy on her tongue as she grazed over his. She heard a sound escape her, of content and pleasure, and in reply he tightened his grip around her waist to bring her even closer.

And suddenly she realized how touchable he was. He was not some holy form for her to bask at his beauty, his unattainably. He was here, he was real, and he was tangible. And she could touch him, feeling the amazing of his silk hair, his warm skin, and the beat of his heart through his neck on her palm. She could taste him and hear his breathing. He was not a painting of 2-D proportions. He was alive, he was real. The moment engulfed her, his subtle spicy scent, his touch, and the warmth of his form on hers, and she found a shiver pass over her, like being trapped under the surface of a cold lake. Her breath was taken from her and her body had a strange feel, so hot that it was cold, or perhaps the other way around.

His flaxen hair tickled at her cheeks as he tilted his head down slightly, obviously not caring that it had strayed out into his vision during their heat. She had to part for a breath for a moment, realizing how long she had went without air when a throb came to her head when a breath was finally taken in. But she was distracted from the sudden pain, him taking her moment of breathing to kiss the corners of her lips, her jaw, her neck, all the more tender.

And then it hit her like someone had smacked her across the face with a bag of bricks. She almost had to suck in another startled breath at the shock, realizing that it was a certain blonde Slytherin that currently had his lips on her neck. She took in a silent gasp, then peeled his hands away from her and snagged up her bag, hurrying away so she didn't go back.

"I have to go." She called after herself to the boy, her voice tainted with the regret for what she had just let happen, and the fear of what was to come of this. She had just let Draco Malfoy kiss her into submission.

And what scared her the most as she hurried away from the beautiful blonde haired boy who had just left a horribly noticeable mark on her collar bone, was that she had liked it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **  
_A New Angle_

Draco watched the girl go, knowing there was no point in trying to get her to stay, because he might just ruin whatever confusion she had circling in her head, and that was what he had been looking for. He wanted her to be confused; he wanted that kiss to make an impact, have her thinking about him for the rest of the day. After all, confusion might just get her to rethink Blaise, and then maybe the boy would come to his senses.

That had worked perfectly really. He had been worrying about how he was going to get Hermione to kiss him first, but she had solved that for him. Draco would have never thought that the girl would have come near his face, on her own free will, but perhaps even she had the odd, unexplained attraction to him.

Yet, even though he knew his plan was working in a sickly sweet way, and even though his thoughts were as cocky and arrogant and manipulative as always, Draco couldn't let out a normal, triumphant smirk like he would have in any other situation. Draco let himself fall back down to sit on the sill of the window that they had resided by for the last hour, feeling his legs slightly weak, and taking a moment to ponder over why his mouth wasn't twitching into a grin, a sneer, a smug smirk, nothing.

He felt a sigh come to his lips, and he tugged on the lower after rubbing a hand over his face, perhaps hoping that the motion would free him of the unusual surprise he had no doubt plastered on his features. He bit at his bottom lip, attempting to bring feeling back into it, and unluckily, succeeding as he realize how harshly he had gnawed at the plump flesh, causing a shot of pain.

How was he to put what he was feeling? It was hard to say. All he knew for sure was that for some strange reason the girl had caused his heart to jump in pace when she had sighed, and her touch, so much more gentle then that of the Slytherin girls Draco usually dated, made his skin crawl in a horribly additive way. He rubbed his face again, knowing before he had that his cheeks were still warm, but for some reason having to confirm it, or prove the thought wrong. Unfortunately when he brought his finger back up to the fair skin that her lips had brushed against delicately in a sweet, juvenile peck on the cheek, it was proven that his face was still flushed.

Finally a smirk, one of slight surprise as he let out a breath that was supposes to be a toned down chuckle. His first kiss, which he had gotten at a ripe young age of seven, when he had put a spider in Pansy's hair and she had kissed him as punishment (a horrible thing at any age he joked to himself) wasn't even as juvenile as that peck on the cheek was. And yet, he found it strangely charming. Imagine, Granger and charming in the same sentence.

Perhaps he needed to get his head checked.

Draco groaned at himself, realizing what this meant. No, it was not 'love', (he almost rolled his eyes that this idea even came into his mind) lust, maybe, but not love. So he liked to kiss the Muggle-born? So she happened to cause a bit of a flush and his head to spin the slightest bit? That was not the problem, although it could result to be a potentially tricky situation, of course, any desire to make-out with a Mud-blood would result in such circumstances. The problem with this situation was that he finally knew why Blaise was acting like a love-struck puppy.

Did Blaise think it was love? Or was he really still playing the game?

Draco sighed. It was hard to tell with Blaise, because he turned out to be just as good of an actor as Draco (perhaps better, although the blonde would never admit that). After all, even though Draco did have a 'nicer' side under his arrogant, vain exterior, it wasn't that much different. Blaise on the other hand had made the whole school believe he was much more angelic then he really was.

Had the dark haired boy that Draco knew like the back of his own hand actually pulled the wool over Draco's eye's as well? And if he had, was it only the first time?

------------

Hermione wasn't sure what she was thinking going to the library, as if no one would think of looking for her there if they really wanted to find her. Perhaps her mind was just so clouded from the stupidity of her actions that her feet just followed their most common path. She would say that was probably it, considering she didn't remember walking to the library, but just was suddenly there, walking up and down the aisle as of looking for something even though she already had more then enough books.

She was sure that they did not make books that would help her in such a situation, but while she was there, was there really harm in trying? She had to hold back a laugh at herself. Always coming back to books.

Was she completely insane? Was she really that desperate for adolescent physical contact that she would lose control over herself like that? Gosh, she was hopeless. Jumping all over the first guy to give her more then a few minutes. After all, this was Draco that she was getting back from making out with. A mere hour ago she was yelling at him for being a git! And now, a few kind words and his lips saying her name and she was swooning at his feet like the rest of the girls in the school.

Since when did his tactics work on her?

Hermione frowned slightly, his taste still on her tongue, making her feel sweetly sickened, her stomach churning at the thought of what she had just done. Merlin, he was sure to be off gloating now, telling all his Slytherin friends how he had broken the Muggle-born down. Bloody hell she could see it now. Tracey making smart remarks her way the next day, _'Sorry Draco, but I just can't bare to kiss you when it only happened just yesterday. Who knows what kind of things you picked up? Perhaps you should go to the Hospital wing?' _

Hermione Granger, tricked into kissing Draco Malfoy like all the other lowlifes sluttish girls in Slytherin.

No, but it wasn't a trick. She kissed first, she had basically asked for it with her stupid peck on his cheek. It was obvious that he had been surprised, so she couldn't lie to herself and say that it had been him all along. She had acted first, he was just doing what he knew, and it was obvious that it was what she had wanted. Whether she agreed with herself that she had wanted it was a different story, but there had to be some part, something that Draco had picked up on, hadn't there?

Oh Merlin how stupid could she get? Not only was she completely unsure about this whole situation to begin with, but right when she had made a decision to see what happens with Blaise, she turned around and totally backstabs herself. How was she supposed to trust others when she couldn't even trust herself?

And what the hell was this flush that was _still_ on her bloody cheeks!

The girl nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of hands wrapped around her face to cover her eyes carefully. She had taken in a silent gasp as she brought her hands up quickly to try and free her now blinded eyes, but instead of letting her go they simply pulled her backward in a delicate and gentle manner. She felt herself lean back on a soft frame, another body, tall and lean, strong, familiar.

Draco?

Hermione tried not to panic as she frowned the slightest bit under the hands that covered her eyes, her breathing getting caught in her throat suddenly as the smallest bit of dread settled. The hands quickly moved away after, just before she had been ready to shudder slightly, sliding down to hold her waist as lips came to her neck, a flash of dark hair before a voice came to her ear.

"The library? You didn't exactly send me all over the school." Hermione could not hide the relieved sigh that found her lips as she realized it was Blaise with his arms wrapped around her and not Draco. Fortunately the sigh sounded like something of contentment, and she caught a grin falling on his features as he brought his arms to hug around her stomach and let his chin rest on her shoulder in a very pleasant way.

"Yes well, maybe I wanted you to find me." Hermione replied, using the first thing that came to her head, knowing he had thought this was where she had been hiding from him, and knowing that he was pleased with this reply. On the contrary, she had pretty well completely forgot that it was after class and she was suppose to be playing a game of hide and seek with him, but she let her eyes fall shut as his nose nudged her neck, letting herself believe that she had been here waiting for him as he did, another kiss coming to her skin before more whispered words.

"Good answer." He breathed, and she could feel the smile on his lips, causing hers to curl ever so slightly as well, her skin shivering against the warm breathe.

For some reason, Blaise just couldn't help but hold her as he did, couldn't help but suck back that smell that he had tickle his sense earlier, orchids and coconut, or feel the soft of her skin on his lips, like Egyptian silk. Perhaps it had just been so long that he had been in a tender relationship (not that this was or ever would be a real relationship). And anyway, if he was going to have to win her over, why not also enjoy it? Now that he could kiss her openly because she had made the first move, why not take advantage of that? After all, it wasn't him who was sickly against muggle-borns, and even Draco was going to have to kiss her eventually to win this thing.

She turned around in his grasp, his hands replacing around her and resting on the small of her back when she settled again, her own rested on his chest comfortably, and when she finally brought her eyes up to his a timid smile that slide onto her lips reflected in them. He couldn't help but grin teasingly, finding it strange that the girl who had almost literally tackled him in the hall the day before was so shy now, but accepted the fact that now they were past that first kiss he could start doing the work.

Blaise knew he couldn't hold out any longer, just because it had grown silent in expectation as they stood there. So, in reply to her gaze, he moved forward to her. He paused a little over her lips, to fake a bit of apprehension before brushing his lips on hers lightly, being accepted immediately, and he had to hold back a smirk, not waiting it to seem to obvious that her reaction had been pleasing.

Her lips tasted faintly of strawberries, probably remainder of a lip shine she had put on, and he couldn't help but let that held smile twitch ever so slightly as they parted for a moment, before she replied with a deeper kiss. Blaise would have thought it would be a lot harder to get the girl to act like this, but then again, he wasn't complaining. Maybe the quiet ones are always the most surprising, and he couldn't help but think that maybe this was why Weasley was still so hung up on her. Had he managed a kiss from her before they had broken it off?

Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, pressing into him, lost in the moment, in his touch and his sudden comfort. Hermione wasn't sure what it was about him that made her so trusting, but there was just something, something special, because he was not Draco Malfoy. He was not the average Slytherin.

She let another sigh come from her, this time truly content as he kissed her, and smiled when she felt his lips curling into one as well. But, the moment fell away when a panic struck her as his tongue grazed her lip delicately. She had parted her lips slightly, but then pulled her face away, having a dreadful thought that Blaise could perhaps taste Draco on her. Hermione realized how quickly she had pulled away, then cleared her throat, seeing the confusion that had fallen over Blaise's face at her move.

"Sorry, but, maybe we should just take it slow." She said, reflecting the very small thought in the back of her mind that perhaps they were getting into this to fast, which she knew was true but for some reason was the least of her worries. Blaise couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"You weren't saying that yesterday. If Draco hadn't pulled me away from you, you would have let a lot more happen then what did." He whispered, a teasing tone as he brought his lips back to hers, as good as rendering her mute and paralyzed. Before long he was easing her mouth opened, which took very little effort, then let his tongue flick over hers, not to overwhelm her.

She had melted back into his arms again, finding her mind clouded once more after he had touched his lips to hers. It was like the lack of oxygen that she was breathing was making her dreamy, venerable as she was at their first encounter, a pray-animal being gently devoured by a predator. He used her vulnerability and moved his lips to the tender neck right under her ear, and she couldn't help but let out a quiet moan of bliss. Of course, it didn't last long, because reality was falling over her again like a heavy black cloud.

As her hand tangled in his hair she thought for a moment that it was blonde and not the dark contrasting black that it really was, and as she pressed herself against him his scent seemed for a moment to be that of the spicy cologne that she had been engulfed in moments before, instead of pleasantly fresh like it really was.

It was too much, and she couldn't help but let the smallest sob out as she pushed him away, freeing herself quick and moving to the opposite side of the aisle that they stood in. She hugged her own stomach, wishing he would not ask what was wrong, but know he would eventually.

"Hermione, what's going on?" He asked, suddenly serious, and she knew she had to tell him, just because of that look he was giving her. She sighed, her forehead furrowed and she found her lips pouting slightly. Who would have know she would feel so horrible for cheating on a boy that she had done nothing with but kiss.

"Draco, he, kissed me today." She managed to choke out, and Blaise let his eyes show realization before annoyance. He couldn't help but find something churn in his stomach at the words, whether it was realization that he was not so far ahead in the game as he thought, or that Draco had perhaps cheated, or maybe something else, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that the feeling caused an annoyed flicker in his eyes after she said it.

"Did he trick you? Did _he_ kiss you?" he asked, and watched her face contort more as she shook her head.

"I'm so stupid! He was being nice, he helped me put my books away, and, I just. I don't know, I just had to thank him somehow, and I kissed him on the cheek. He must have gotten the wrong idea. Oh I'm horrible. I was basically asking for it." The words spilled out of her mouth like a waterfall and Blaise couldn't help but let himself sigh as he realized that Draco had played fair, covering his reaction by moving forward and wrapping arms around the girl in comfort.

"I'm so, I'm so confused. He says he fancies me. I don't know what to think. I usually know when he's lying, but I couldn't tell this time." She muttered into his chest as her arms found around his neck again. He let his chin rest on her head for a moment as she spoke, her hair soft. He felt his jaw setting slightly in annoyance, finding himself overly angry that Draco had so quickly snuck up on him and had swayed the girl's opinion on the situation.

It took a moment for the idea to sink in beyond his anger, but once it did he couldn't help but smirk the slightest bit. He then set his face again, and pushed the girl away, holding her shoulders to explain what was 'really' going on.

"Draco is a git, and a liar. He found out that I liked you before I could get a chance to really do anything about it, and now he's determined to see that his friend is not running around with a Muggle-born. He's trying to get you to ditch me and go with him, to forget about me, and then once you have, he'll leave you. He fancies you no more then he fancies me." He almost showed his amusement in that last sentence on his face, the strange irony that it held making him laugh a little in his head, but he kept his face straight as he looked at the girl, searching her face to see if she understood, if she realized. And then he saw it. A mingling of comprehension and then complete malice and slight betrayal shined in her deep brown eyes, her pink lips opened to speak.

"I always thought he was a liar, but he was being so nice. I shouldn't have given in so quickly. He always has a motive, that bloody foul pure-blood ferrety git." Hermione's words came flying out of her mouth after Blaise's explanation, the boy recognizing the look on her face as the hatred that she reserved for only one blonde haired boy.

"Well, I'm just going to have to tell him to get over it because we're going to be together whether he likes it or not." Her voice was determined, spiteful, and then she paused, getting a bit of a nervous look before glancing his way and saying.

"Unless, of course, you don't want to." She said, and Blaise couldn't help but smirk slightly, cupping her cheek and kissing her again.

"Of course I do." He caught her break out into a grin before kissing him again, and he allowed himself to enjoy the pleasurable moment before pulling away again, realizing while mid-kiss, a flaw in his plan.

"But you can't tell Draco." He said. If Hermione told Draco that she wanted nothing to do with him, the blonde haired Slytherin would realize how badly he was losing and do something drastic to win. That was just the way he was. Draco was a Drama Queen if anyone was. Blaise only wanted Draco to stop advancing in the game so quickly; he wanted his competitor to simply feel like he was comfortably leading, like Blaise was no longer a threat.

Perhaps getting Draco to lay off was not so much about the game anymore either, but then again, what else would it be about? After all, what would Draco do if Blaise simply put him out of the running? Why wasn't he letting Hermione just tell him off so that her and Blaise could just continue until she told him that she loved him. What could Draco do other then tell Hermione about the game? And he couldn't do that; he wouldn't do that, because that was against the rules. Draco wouldn't break the rules to win, because that wouldn't be winning.

Out of everyone Blaise knew, Draco had to be the noblest when it came to stupid things like their games.

"And why not?" Hermione asked, pulling away a little again to see Blaise's face, to perhaps read it somehow, even though he seemed quite hard to read sometimes. Perhaps this was because he himself wasn't completely sure about his logic.

"Because if you tell Draco he'll do something dire to end us. We have to make him think that you fancy him, so that he ends it on his own." Blaise explained, hoping that somehow he had managed to twist his logic enough so that it sounded honest and authentic in her clever mind.

"But, what would he do?" she asked, her question mirroring exactly what Blaise had thought. He held back a wince, for he had been hoping this question would not be asked.

"Don't underestimate the things that boy can come up with. I can't even begin to guess at what he would think up." Blaise replied, proud of himself for coming up with a reply, but feeling his gut twist in guilt that he was lying so much in such a short time. It was strange, because in all the games before, the manipulation had never made him feel bad. But at the moment the boy felt as if his throat was in a knot, and with ever word he spoke it kept getting tighter and tighter.

"Will you talk to him though? Soon? Tell him that you don't think I fancy you anymore?" She asked, getting more comfortable and allowing herself to be hugged by him again.

"Of course, soon. I promise." He replied, taking advantage of her trust again by pulling her into him and setting a quick kiss on her lips. He couldn't help but smile when she did, glad that their plan was worked out, but feeling like he was now drowning in the deception of the game.

Never had he played Draco while in the midst of a game. It was like he was lying to his best friend as much as he was the victim. Usually both the boys were very opened with the way that they were playing the game, whatever the game might be, but this time Blaise was going as far as lying to his best friend just to keep one step ahead. He was devising with the victim, who had no idea what she was twisted up in. It made him feel nervous, lying, sneaking around behind Draco back, because the blonde _was_ powerful, despite what some people thought. He could make things happen.

But then again, for some reason there was something telling Blaise that he had to win this. He wasn't sure what it was, but all he knew was that if Draco won, he wouldn't be able to live it down.

Was he even talking about the game anymore?


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**  
_Webbing the Lies_

Blaise was never one to feel stressed. He rarely worried about his marks as much as he should, and even when exams rolled around, while everyone was panicking to study, he was still calm and collected. Actually, the last time the boy remembered being stressed was when his mother was brought to court when her most recent husband had past away. It had been the first time that she had been a suspect, and Blaise couldn't help but worry day in and day out that his mother might not be there for him when he returned from school that summer.

Then again, it was her who taught him to not stress. Stress was not a good look for a person. You become tired, worried, lost in thought often, sometimes you forget things, and most often you became irritable, nervous, and overwhelmed. That much pressure, it usually shows, and it's not usually attractive. A Zabini always had to be attractive.

Blaise had no idea why he was so stressed suddenly either. For a boy who was so calm in the most overwhelming situations, why was it now, while things were going quite well, that he felt that horrible twisting nervousness settling in the pit of his stomach? It's not like anything special was happening, other then the fact that he was in a game with Draco that was basically a toss up for who could win. But, it's not even that Draco winning would be that bad. It had never been bad before, on the contrary, usually they were both rewarded, no matter who won.

Blaise couldn't help a smirk at the thought, then groaned at himself, giving his head the smallest of shakes as he walked, ridding himself of the thought. No, he had to figure out what was making him feel this way. He had to know why his fingers were shaking.

Perhaps it was because Blaise wasn't much of a liar. Yes, you could argue that he was good at lying when he needed to be, and he would not disagree, but he still would rather avoid it. And he was slowly realizing how hard it would be to avoid lies in the deep, twisted web of them that he was weaving.

The boy sighed, running those fingers through his hair, trying his best to calm down slightly. No, he was calm, his heart was a steady rhythm, his breathing was stable, outwardly he seemed fine, but he still felt the stress, like a churning in his stomach. Was everyone this on edge when trying to keep their well thought out deception going? Had his mother been this stressed when she had told the court that William had died because his dragon stake had not been cooked properly?

The Slytherin was heading for the Great Hall, it was dinner and he hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning (he has used his lunch hour to catch up on a bit of homework he had fallen behind on). He felt a tightness in his stomach that would signal hunger, and he wouldn't refuse himself, despite the fact that he would very much like the stay away from crowds in his state. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he wasn't sure which, the moment that the smell of the food lingered out of the hall and under his nose he sneered. His stomach twisted from his stress and the smell made him want to puke, even though it was very inviting. No, he simply just didn't have an appetite.

Instead, he changed his direction to the Common rooms, wondering if maybe after a bit of a lie-down he would feel better. If it was too late for dinner when he got his appetite back he could head down to the kitchens for a snack.

The common room was completely empty when he entered, and he sighed again, glad that he wouldn't run into anyone who might ask him what was wrong. He didn't feel like trying to make an excuse for his appearance, which probably resembled how tired he actually felt now.

His bed in the dorm was amazingly inviting as he felt down on it, letting his face bury in the pillow, which still smelt faintly of Draco from a couple of evenings before. Another sigh and Blaise turned over onto his back, feeling his stomach twist again at the thought of that night. Something had happened during that time together. Something, important, and Blaise just wasn't sure what it was. The game, the rules, Hermione, Draco.

The rules. Blaise glanced to his bedside table absentmindedly, where the rules hid in the pages of one of the five novels he kept in the drawer. He wasn't sure what he had expected to see by looking at the drawer, as if the rules knew they were being thought about and would suddenly expose themselves, but once he did glance he realized something he had missed when entering the room.

The drawer that held those five books was ajar, opened the slightest bit more then it should be, and a dread fell over the boy. Who had been through his things, and what if they had found that piece of paper? Blaise shot up and yanked the handle on the drawer, pulling it open and grabbing quickly for the hardcover that hid the parchment. He shook it over his bed, and, with a sigh of relief, the parchment fell out onto his sheets.

His heartbeat hitched and his mind thoroughly shaken, he grabbed the paper, unfolding it once to make sure it was the rules that his quill had scrolled out that night, then replaced the parchment back in the book and the book back in the drawer. He paused before shutting it though, realizing something was in fact missing as he thought, but it wasn't what he would have assumed.

The five novels that normal sit in the drawer had become four.

Blaise frowned slightly, wondering who from his dorm would take one of his books, and concluding that neither Crabbe, Goyle, nor Nott would take a _book_ unless they had needed it as a paperweight. The boy took a glance around, as if this would somehow reveal to him who had stole the novel, then groaned in annoyance as he shut the drawer. One more thing to worry about. Someone was out stealing books.

The dark haired boy forced himself up and out of the dorms, wondering for a moment if anyone had returned to the common room, and thinking that if so, maybe they could help him in his search. Blaise made himself go check before he lost interest and didn't have the will to get up from his bed. He shut the dorm door behind him and turned to go back down the stairs to the common room, but paused when he past one of the doors on the way down. It was shut, which wasn't exactly a rare occasion with this door considering it was the entrance to Draco's Head Boy dorm. After all, Draco had many, many reasons to keep it closed most of the time, considering what went on inside. And usually, even when he wasn't inside, it would be closed and locked, to keep people from rutting around in his things. The thing was, when Blaise past this door he felt something tug at his gut, like he was no longer alone.

There was no harm in knocking was there? Perhaps Draco might know who had his book, and if Draco wasn't there, then Blaise would just leave. The boy found himself gnawing at his lower lip, torn for a moment between spending some time with his best friend and spending some time with the boy he hated right now for being so good at the game they were tangled in.

Of course, when it came to Draco, you did not give up time with him if you could get it, and Blaise knew this all to well.

His knuckles tapped on the wood of the door timidly, feeling his anxiety sprout again, but it quickly disappeared when Draco's voice sounded from the other side, and Blaise felt his throat tighten, distracting from the nervousness. Why was he nervous anyway? It was just Draco.

"Come in." It said, smooth, calm, and the click of the door being unlocked signaled Blaise to enter. He did immediately, wrapping a hand around the knob and turning it, pushing the door opened and slinking himself into the room with a catlike grace that he had adopted from the blonde. Draco had looked up, locking the boy in a silver gaze from his spot on his bed and Blaise couldn't help but return a smile when the blonde had let one slip onto his face.

"Hey." He said simply, and Blaise shut the door behind him, hearing the lock catch after the door had been closed. He offered another smile before replying.

"Hey. I was just-" Blaise paused his explanation, having the answer before he got it all out, because held in those familiar thin fingers of his friend was the hardcover that had been missing from his drawer. He let out a small chuckle at himself, and how he had stressed over who had maybe had it.

"Wondering who took my book." He finished, realizing Draco was looking at him in a questioning way, and when Blaise pointed to the book the boy held, Draco also let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind, Granger got me wondering what all the hype was about these muggle authors." Draco said, explaining his reasoning behind taking the book, and Blaise let a shrug roll over his shoulders, even though he had felt an annoyance fall over himself at Draco's mention of Hermione. He didn't even know that she had told him about the kiss. And Draco was just going to sit there and not mention it.

"Granger rubbing off on you? That's something I never thought I would hear." Blaise commented, trying his best to not seem irritated with the blonde, and he was obviously doing a good job because Draco simply laughed in reply.

"I wouldn't say she's rubbing off." He said, glancing away from the pages of the book as Blaise decided to wander closer. All this being irritated had made another wave of tiredness fall over him, and the side of Draco bed that was free had looked very welcoming.

"You alright?" Draco asked, Blaise letting out a laugh as he let himself fall on the bed with the blonde, noticing that he had been dreading this question from anyone else, but it seemed that Draco asking it was fine, even though the blonde was most likely the central cause of Blaise's stress.

"I think I'm just a little tired." Blaise replied with another lie. It always astounded him that he could lie so simply to Draco, while if anyone else bent the truth around the boy he always knew. Maybe Draco just didn't want to think Blaise was being dishonest?

Blaise secured his lie by snaking his hands under the pillow that sat in front of him and then letting his head fall comfortably on it as he laid on his stomach, much like he had been back in his own bed. Of course, if he thought his pillow smelt like the blonde, then this one smelt as if it was doused in the boy's cologne. It was overwhelming, but in a surprisingly good way, warm on his senses, and he couldn't help but sigh when Draco touch joined the scent, his fingers brushing casually though Blaise's dark hair in a comforting manner.

Blaise turn his head towards Draco so he could watch him, those silver eyes turned back to the pages of the book he had stolen, and suddenly the laying Slytherin could not be mad at his friend anymore. Even though he had gotten Hermione to kiss him, he was catching up in their game with increasing speed, and he was not going to tell Blaise that he had been working to sabotage the boy's lead. Even though he was manipulative and deceptive, secretive and twisted, and on top of all that he had stolen Blaise's book, Blaise just couldn't be mad. Because he was Draco, and if you knew Draco you knew he had a way of turning any emotion around. Nobody wanted to hate Draco, because to hate him meant you didn't want him.

And everybody wanted him.

Blaise sighed, annoyed with himself now because he couldn't be angry with the boy, and Draco took notice.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, and Blaise let a shrug come to his shoulders before taking a moment to think. What was he thinking about? He was thinking about the game. He was thinking about Hermione, her quirky, innocent grin and how quickly she had offered herself into a relationship. Her smell, the way she kissed, and how she was willing to deceive with him, make up a lie with him, and the guilt he had that she trusted him. He was thinking about Draco, and how even best friends held secrets, from each other and from the world. After all, Draco didn't know that Blaise and Hermione had a plan against him, and Draco also didn't know that the fact that he had gotten Hermione to kiss him was no longer a secret.

And yet, even though he felt guilty beyond belief, he knew this was the prefect time, it was the prefect question, and if Blaise didn't set the plan into motion now, he wouldn't get another chance.

"Hermione is confused." He offered, lifting his gaze when he felt the blonde's silver eyes fall on him.

"About what?" Draco asked, and Blaise held back from rolling his eyes, because he knew that Draco knew what it was about. He could see it mingling in the depth of the boy's black pupils, a flicker of self pride that only Blaise would be able to see from his friend.

"Us. She told me she isn't sure she wants to be with me. She told me that she had to think." The boy replied, and Draco's eyes moved away, giving a sound of understanding as a reply, but nothing more. Of course. Blaise knew that Draco was probably laughing with glee on the inside, because as far as he knew, he had once again managed to sway someones opinion on him. Blaise found himself slightly annoyed, knowing that to Draco, Hermione was just another girl, another girl that he managed to make fawn over him, but for Blaise...

What was she for Blaise?

"I think you're winning." Blaise added, securing his 'thought' and he heard Draco sigh slightly, a shake of the blondes head, and Blaise felt something tug inside of him as he realized the serious tone of that sigh.

"Let's not talk about it ok? The game I mean." Draco had said, this time looking Blaise in the eye, and the dark haired boy was left speechless for a moment. Draco had seemed sympathetic there, honestly sad that his friend was so annoyed with the situation, and Blaise felt the guilt tug at him again at the fact that he knew his own frustrated aura was all a lie, and yet, was convincing Draco. Blaise cleared his throat quietly, and nodding, agreeing to forget about Hermione's 'indecision', and he received a twitch in Draco's lip, the slightest bit of a smile.

"Why are you reading this anyway?" Blaise asked, wanting to distract himself from the guilt, from the lies. He didn't want to be mad; he didn't want to be stressed. He just wanted Draco to provide him something to give his attention to.

"I thought I'd try and see why you like these muggle writers so much." Draco said, scratching his nails lightly on the back of Blaise's neck, causing a chill to crawl up his spine.

"You're reading for me?" Blaise asked slyly, and caught a smirk crawl onto Draco's face at the words. Before he replied, his hand rubbed gently over the vertebrae in which Blaise's neck met his backbone, roaming just under the collar of his shirt, causing Blaise to let his eyes fall shut. Draco did a wonderful job at distracting.

"Don't think too much into it. I still can't even focus enough to finish one page." Draco said, poking fun at himself slightly, and causing a grin to fall over Blaise's face. Was he really going to play along with this? Of course. He always did, if things changed now, Blaise might just blow the cover that he had so meticulously set into place.

"Still." Blaise said, finally sitting up, not being able to take that evocative touch anymore unless he was returning it. He found himself annoyed for the smallest moment that Draco had played him, lured him into this situation so easily, but at the same time, all the more happy, because it was something that would smother his nerves. Draco had known he wanted it, wanted something strong to fog his thoughts.

"It's a bit of a turn on." He finished, seeing that familiar smirk on Draco's thin lips curl again, before leaning forward and kissing it, making it grow, like a reflex, after Blaise had pulled away. Draco wrapped the hand that had been in Blaise's hair moments before around a piece of his shirt and pulled him back to touch lips again.

"I'm never going to finish the book at this rate." Draco muttered, causing Blaise to chuckle faintly as he turned his head slightly and pulled the book from his hands, tossing it aside and returning to the blonde when his shirt was pulled again.

Blaise was surprise at how fast it came this time. That feeling, the burning pressure that swelled in his gut and rose in his chest, causing him to groan slightly when Draco pushed into his lips, and leading the dark haired boy to pulling the blonde up on his knees so they could be closer. He attacked Draco's neck, unbuttoning the top of his shirt so he could bite at the tender skin of the boy's collarbone, resulting in a gasp from the blonde, one of such an amazing tone that it caused Blaise's stomach to flip. The pressure, it was uncontrollable, strong, and this time he knew that Draco felt it too. The smirk that was always on his face, tauntingly tugging at Blaise's last nerve as he fell apart under Draco skilled kisses, was no longer there. His fingers, which were often meticulously placed and moved, were shaking the slightest bit as they tried to follow suit and unbutton Blaise's shirt to get at more neck.

Blaise kissed the boy's mouth again, and before he knew it Draco had grabbed him around the neck and was begging for him to part his lips. There was a moment of panic, for that was newly treaded ground for the both, something Blaise didn't exactly see as intimate, but more intimate then any of their juvenile kissing, necking, touching. And yet, there was no pause between Draco's beg for entrance and Blaise obliging. Their tongues tangled, Blaise overwhelmed with an additive new flavor. Spicy and slightly bitter, but at the same time, sweet, warm. Behind all that he tasted the faintest reminisce of artificial strawberries, and knew that Draco had tasted Hermione in this way mere hours ago.

Blaise let a hand crawl into Draco's hair, getting the smallest sounds for the blonde and he pulled in a little closer, teeth grazing, exchanging breathes, and the pressure paused for a moment as the kiss distracted it. It was like they had forgotten about everything else, forgot about grabbing roughly at each other, and they suddenly became gentler, the fast pace attacks of before slowing until they finally broke apart.

Blaise was bewildered for a moment, breathing heavy with Draco, inhaling his sweet breath and getting dizzy over it. He was stunned by how they had pushed their usual boundaries, and pleased by the outcome, loving the flaxen hair that danced around his features on their breathes, the flush he saw on Draco's cheeks when he had let his eyes open. Of course, he couldn't shake the thought that pushed into his head for a spilt second after they had parted.

They were not fucking around anymore.

He pushed into another kiss, refusing to think of that, and Draco accepted, the intensity increasing quickly again, but being broken in a spilt second when a knock came to the locked door. Blaise found his hand gripping rough around the blonde's thin hips, as if to hold him if he went to move away, but he didn't budge.

"Don't." He whispered after they had parted for another breath, demanding the blonde to forget the door, to stay with him, and Draco muttered a 'no' before pushing a kiss onto him again.

Blaise had found a tender spot on Draco neck, one that caused him to fist his hand in the dark hair it was tangled in and bite at his lower lip to hold back a sound that Blaise knew was stuck in his throat. But just as Blaise was sure he was going to get a satisfying moan out of Draco any moment, there was a second knock, a voice along with it.

"Draco hunny, it's Tracey, open up please." The voice was muted slightly, being blocked out by the door, but they had both heard it.

"Bugger." Draco had mumbled, the harsh word replacing whatever he had been holding back from letting escape his lips, and Blaise, who had thoroughly lost the moment at the sound of Tracey's voice, sighed against his neck, feeling the blonde's skin shiver at the warm breath.

"Answer it." Blaise said, knowing there was no point in fighting it anymore, and Draco sighed himself before getting off the bed and running fingers through his hair.

"Just a second." He called, button his shirt back up, fixing his tie a bit and inspecting himself in a mirror. Blaise watched him, now lying back on the bed, not bothering to do anything to fix himself up other then petting his hair down the slightest bit. Draco really was the master of deception. Even his flush went away quickly.

When he answered the door, slender arms went around his neck immediately, delicate female fingers tangling in the blonde hair and causing it to be just as astray as moments before.

"Where were you at dinner babe? You keep disappearing like this and I'm going to think you're seeing someone else." There was a girlish giggle as Tracey made this jest, and she tried to pull Draco into a kiss, but he turned his head in Blaise's direction, and with the clear of his throat Tracey realized they were not alone. The grin that was on her lips had fallen for a moment, but, to disguise her disappointment, she forced it back on.

"Blaise." She said, her voice revealing her annoyance that the dark haired Slytherin was there, but Blaise felt absolutely no remorse for her, only because of what she had just interrupted herself.

"Well, maybe I'll just leave you two. It's obvious that Tracey doesn't want me here, no matter how much she likes me." Blaise said, not even acknowledging the girls greeting, but faking a tone of voice that made it seems as if he was leaving as a generous gesture for her. She had let the smile become a real one, a bit of a 'thank you' in her eyes as he made contact with them, and the boy held back from gagging.

"Blaise, you don't have to go." Draco said, more then quietly as he followed Blaise to the door, Tracey turning away to sit herself on the bed, waiting for Blaise to leave. The dark haired boy held back a laugh, and simply let it shine in his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

"Yes I do. You know I do." He replied in a whisper. He really didn't like this, everything felt awkward, and he didn't like Tracey's eyes on him over Draco's shoulder. He felt completely revealed, like they had just been caught, and he became overly conscious of the fact that the collar of his shirt was still opened. Why hadn't he fixed it? Was he asking for suspicion? Women were strangely perceptive to things, it was a bad idea that he hadn't left yet.

"I don't want you to leave." Draco had said, putting his hand on the door to keep Blaise from pulling it open, his voice still low, although Blaise could hear the seriousness of the tone this time. Again, there was an honestly hidden in the blonde's eyes, and it was so intense that it caused Blaise's glance to move to the floor. He couldn't stand Draco being honest with him, not when he remembered how truly deceitful he was being back.

"Draco?" Tracey had taken his name right out of Blaise's mouth, for the boy had just parted his lips to utter it as well. They both looked at her, the dark haired girl sitting on the bed in expectation, an impatience growing around her, and Blaise let a silent sigh escape his lips.

"It's not worth the suspicion." Blaise said, trying to convince Draco, and seeing him winning the blonde over. They couldn't keep up like this, and keep Tracey waiting. She would ask questions, questions that would be better avoided.

"We'll talk later." Blaise finished, his voice raised slightly this time in hope that Tracey would hear him, and dared a glance in her direction before clearing his throat and pulling at the door, which opened because Draco had relieved the weight he had on it to keep it closed. Blaise closed the door behind him, and once again heard the lock click behind him, letting out the heavy sigh that he had been holding back. He found his breath shaken, and his mouth dry, and disappointment hovering over him as he moved to return back to his dorm.

Blaise sat on the edge of his bed, and as he heart calmed and the fog around his mind floated away, he realized exactly how horrible he felt. This was an awful sensation, something much worst then before he had set foot into Draco's dorm. He felt exhausted, frustrated, betrayed, guilty, used, and jealous, and neither sensation was stronger then they others. Blaise let the palms of his hands press into his eyes as he sat, until the feelings brewed so strong that it caused him to flail, grabbing a pillow and tossing it across the room, knocking over a lamp. It fell on one of the mattresses, and Blaise was torn between thankfulness and annoyance, glad that it hadn't fallen on the floor and smashed, drawing attention, but also upset that his burst of angry at not resulted in a satisfying shatter of something.

Why was he so hard to please lately?


End file.
